scholarly journals STUDIES OF LUNG METABOLISM

1966 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar K. Reiss

The isolation and partial characterization of subcellular particles from rabbit and rat lung are described. Detailed methods for separating a purified, active mitochondrial fraction are outlined and evaluated in terms of enzymatic, chemical, and morphological criteria. Mitochondrial preparations from rabbit and rat liver were used as comparative indices. The lung mitochondrial fraction was identified by its ability to oxidize succinate with a P/O ratio of 1.7 by a process sensitive to 2,4 dinitrophenol and antimycin A. The adenosine triphosphatase activity of the lung mitochondrial fraction is stimulated by magnesium ions, but this stimulation is not augmented by 2,4 dinitrophenol. In the absence of magnesium ions, the specific activity of the adenosine triphosphatase increases with increasing protein concentration. The presence of lysosomes in the mitochondrial fraction is suggested by acid phosphatase and cathepsin activities and by electron microscope observations.

1989 ◽  
Vol 21 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 157-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Ehlinger ◽  
J. M. Audic ◽  
G. M. Faup

The characterization of the biofilm of an anaerobic fluidized-bed reactor was completed under standard conditions. The distribution of the fixed protein concentration depended on the level in the reactor. The protein concentration reached 1520 µg.g−1 of support at the top of the reactor and only 1200 µg.g−1 at the bottom after 504 hours of operation but the specific activity of the biofilm was 33×10−4 µM acetate.h−1.mg−1 proteins at the bottom and only 26×10−4 µM.h−1.mg−1 at the top. The efficiency of a fluidized bed reactor and the composition of the biofilm changed with an increase of the pH from 7 to 8.5 during the seeding of the support material. Future development of the biofilm and the specific activity of the support were affected.


1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 425-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Mok ◽  
Tanya Wong ◽  
Octavio Filgueiras ◽  
Paul G. Casola ◽  
Don W. Nicholson ◽  
...  

CDPdiacylglycerol pyrophosphatase (E. C. 3.6.1.26) activity has been examined in rat lung mitochondrial and microsomal fractions. While the mitochondrial hydrolase exhibited a broad pH optimum from pH 6–8, the microsomal activity decreased rapidly above pH 6.5. Apparent Km values of 36.2 and 23.6 μM and Vmax values of 311 and 197 pmol∙min−1∙mg protein−1 were observed for the mitochondrial and microsomal preparations, respectively. Addition of parachloromercuriphenylsulphonic acid led to a marked inhibition of the microsomal fraction but slightly stimulated the mitochondrial activity at low concentrations. Mercuric ions were inhibitory with both fractions. Although biosynthetic reactions utilizing CDPdiacylglycerol require divalent cations, addition of Mg2+, Mn2+, Ca2+, Zn2+, Co2+, and Cu2+ all inhibited the catabolic CDPdiacylglycerol hydrolase activity in both fractions. EDTA and EGTA also produced an inhibitory effect, especially with the mitochondrial fraction. Although addition of either adenine or cytidine nucleotides led to a decrease in activity with both fractions, the marked susceptibility to AMP previously reported for this enzyme in Escherichia coli membranes, guinea pig brain lysosomes, and pig liver mitochondria was not observed. These results indicate that rat lung mitochondria and microsomes contain specific CDPdiacylglycerol hydrolase activities, which could influence the rate of formation of phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylglycerol for pulmonary surfactant.


1974 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 610-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Gershon ◽  
Martin Hagopian ◽  
Eladio A. Nunez

The localization of labeled amine in the heart of the bat after administration of tritiated norepinephrine (NE) was studied by means of electron microscope autoradiography. Monoamine oxidase was inhibited so that the distribution of amine in both neuronal (Uptake1) and extraneuronal (Uptake2) sites could be analyzed. Labeling was nonrandom in both the atrial and ventricular myocardium. The highest relative specific activity was found in neural processes which showed morphological criteria of terminal adrenergic axons. Analysis of the distribution of label around the labeled axonal varicosities indicated that the radioactive amine was more concentrated peripherally than centrally in these structures. Label was also found over cardiocytes in both atrium and ventricle. The pattern of this labeling indicated that the radioactive amine was associated with myofilaments. In the ventricle, I bands were most heavily labeled, indicating a probable association of radioactive amine with thin filaments. Labeling was prevented by administration of phenoxybenzamine and decreased only in cardiocytes by normetanephrine. The nonrandom distribution of labeled amine within cardiocytes supports the view that Uptake2 represents not only a second mechanism of inactivation of the sympathetic neurotransmitter, but may also be involved in the mediation of some of the action of NE on cardiac muscle.


Author(s):  
R. F. Schneidmiller ◽  
W. F. Thrower ◽  
C. Ang

Solid state materials in the form of thin films have found increasing structural and electronic applications. Among the multitude of thin film deposition techniques, the radio frequency induced plasma sputtering has gained considerable utilization in recent years through advances in equipment design and process improvement, as well as the discovery of the versatility of the process to control film properties. In our laboratory we have used the scanning electron microscope extensively in the direct and indirect characterization of sputtered films for correlation with their physical and electrical properties.Scanning electron microscopy is a powerful tool for the examination of surfaces of solids and for the failure analysis of structural components and microelectronic devices.


Author(s):  
T. C. Tisone ◽  
S. Lau

In a study of the properties of a Ta-Au metallization system for thin film technology application, the interdiffusion between Ta(bcc)-Au, βTa-Au and Ta2M-Au films was studied. Considered here is a discussion of the use of the transmission electron microscope(TEM) in the identification of phases formed and characterization of the film microstructures before and after annealing.The films were deposited by sputtering onto silicon wafers with 5000 Å of thermally grown oxide. The film thicknesses were 2000 Å of Ta and 2000 Å of Au. Samples for TEM observation were prepared by ultrasonically cutting 3mm disks from the wafers. The disks were first chemically etched from the silicon side using a HNO3 :HF(19:5) solution followed by ion milling to perforation of the Au side.


Author(s):  
Ruchama Baum ◽  
J.T. Seto

The ribonucleic acid (RNA) of paramyxoviruses has been characterized by biochemical and physiochemical methods. However, paramyxovirus RNA molecules have not been studied by electron microscopy. The molecular weights of these single-stranded viral RNA molecules are not known as yet. Since electron microscopy has been found to be useful for the characterization of single-stranded RNA, this investigation was initiated to examine the morphology and length measurements of paramyxovirus RNA's.Sendai virus Z strain and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), Milano strain, were used. For these studies it was necessary to develop a method of extracting RNA molecules from purified virus particles. Highly purified Sendai virus was treated with pronase (300 μg/ml) at 37°C for 30 minutes and the RNA extracted by the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-phenol procedure.


Author(s):  
Robert C. Rau

Previous work has shown that post-irradiation annealing, at temperatures near 1100°C, produces resolvable dislocation loops in tungsten irradiated to fast (E > 1 MeV) neutron fluences of about 4 x 1019 n/cm2 or greater. To crystallographically characterize these loops, tilting experiments were carried out in the electron microscope on a polycrystalline specimen which had been irradiated to 1.5 × 1021 n/cm2 at reactor ambient temperature (∼ 70°C), and subseouently annealed for 315 hours at 1100°C. This treatment produced large loops averaging 1000 Å in diameter, as shown in the micrographs of Fig. 1. The orientation of this grain was near (001), and tilting was carried out about axes near [100], [10] and [110].


Author(s):  
George Guthrie ◽  
David Veblen

The nature of a geologic fluid can often be inferred from fluid-filled cavities (generally <100 μm in size) that are trapped during the growth of a mineral. A variety of techniques enables the fluids and daughter crystals (any solid precipitated from the trapped fluid) to be identified from cavities greater than a few micrometers. Many minerals, however, contain fluid inclusions smaller than a micrometer. Though inclusions this small are difficult or impossible to study by conventional techniques, they are ideally suited for study by analytical/ transmission electron microscopy (A/TEM) and electron diffraction. We have used this technique to study fluid inclusions and daughter crystals in diamond and feldspar.Inclusion-rich samples of diamond and feldspar were ion-thinned to electron transparency and examined with a Philips 420T electron microscope (120 keV) equipped with an EDAX beryllium-windowed energy dispersive spectrometer. Thin edges of the sample were perforated in areas that appeared in light microscopy to be populated densely with inclusions. In a few cases, the perforations were bound polygonal sides to which crystals (structurally and compositionally different from the host mineral) were attached (Figure 1).


1991 ◽  
Vol 66 (04) ◽  
pp. 453-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T Brandt

SummaryLupus anticoagulants (LAs) are antibodies which interfere with phospholipid-dependent procoagulant reactions. Their clinical importance is due to their apparent association with an increased risk of thrombo-embolic disease. To date there have been few assays for quantifying the specific activity of these antibodies in vitro and this has hampered attempts to purify and characterize these antibodies. Methods for determining phospholipid-dependent generation of thrombin and factor Xa are described. Isolated IgG fractions from 7 of 9 patients with LAs were found to reproducibly inhibit enzyme generation in these assay systems, permitting quantitative expression of inhibitor activity. Different patterns of inhibitory activity, based on the relative inhibition of thrombin and factor Xa generation, were found, further substantiating the known heterogeneity of these antibodies. These systems may prove helpful in further purification and characterization of LAs.


1984 ◽  
Vol 104 (4_Supplb) ◽  
pp. S91-S92
Author(s):  
G. DAXENBICHLER ◽  
E. H. MOSER
Keyword(s):  
Rat Lung ◽  

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