No description available.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Echinoderms, for example sea cucumber, contain a unique collagenous tissue, with special biomechanical properties, which could near-instantly change their mechanical state (going from stiff to soft, and vice versa, in less than a second). However, the structure-function relation has so far not been exploited. Understanding how the material design of mutable collagenous tissue (MCT) enables this remarkable dynamical mechanical behaviour will help enable development of new biomaterials with adaptable mechanical properties. Currently, it is hypothesised that MCT can rapidly form crosslinks between the collagen fibrils and stiffen the interfibrillar matrix under neural control, but this had never been shown directly. In this thesis, we carried out an experimental study of quantifying how the interfibrillar matrix response to stimuli agents, to generate active forces and change conformation using a synchrotron in situ X-ray nanomechanical imaging method. By the uncovering of the mechanisms of active force generation, a valuable guideline, which could be applied in bioinspired constructs that response to external stimuli, can be obtained.

No description available.

Background and study aims: It has been suggested that smoking may be associated with microscopic colitis (MC) in some studies; however, there are conflicting results in the current literature with many of these studies having significant limitations. Our study aims to offer a meta-analysis evaluating the association between MC, including both its subtypes, and smoking. Patients and methods: A systemic review was conducted in PUBMED, Embase, PubMed Central, and ScienceDirect databases from inception through December 2019. Effect estimates from the individual studies were extracted and combined using the random effect, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird and a pooled odds ratio (OR) was calculated. Forest plots were generated, and publication bias was assessed for using conventional techniques. Results: Eight observation studies with a total of 1461 patients with MC were included in this study, 383 of whom were active smokers (26.2%). Current smoking was significantly associated with MC (OR 3.58, 95% CI, 2.51–5.11), lymphocytic colitis (LC) (OR 3.64, 95% CI, 2.46–5.38), and collagenous colitis (CC) (OR 4.43, 95% CI, 2.68–7.32). Gender-specific subgroup analysis showed a significant association with smoking was found for CC in men (OR 4.53, 95% CI, 1.59–12.85), CC in women (OR 3.27, 95% CI, 2.35–4.54), LC in women (OR 2.27, 95% CI, 1.27–4.06) and MC in women (OR 2.93, 95% CI, 2.09–4.10). We found no publication bias as assessed by the funnel plots and Egger's regression asymmetry test. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis found a statistically significant association between smoking and both subtypes of MC.

<p>Collagenous colitis (CC) is an inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. It is characterized by watery diarrhoea without blood, normal endoscopic findings but microscopically colonic mucosal inflammation and increased thickness of the subepithelial collagen band, the latter being a pathognomonic sign. The inflammatory infiltrate in the mucosa of CC contains lymphocytes, plasma cells, eosinophils, mast cells but few neutrophils. The pathophysiological roles of the thickened collagen band and the inflammatory infiltrate in CC are not fully understood. The aims of the present study were to develop a colonoscope based segmental perfusions technique and to analyze local intestinal secretion of inflammatory mediators: Eosinophilic Cationic Protein (ECP), Myeloperoxidase (MPO), Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and permeability marker albumin in CC patients without medication and also during steroid treatment. Furthermore, the colonic mucosal distribution of bFGF and VEGF were studied by immunohistochemical methods.</p><p>Colonoscope-based segmental perfusions were performed in totally 22 patients and the success rate was 76% in both rectal and descending colon segments. The analysis showed high intraluminal concentrations of ECP, bFGF, VEGF and albumin in ten CC patients compared to 10 control patients. Further, albumin had correlations with ECP and VEGF. However, elevated concentrations of MPO, an important feature of ulcerative colitis, were only observed in a few CC patients. Immunohistochemistry visualized bFGF and VEGF in the colonic epithelium but also deeper in the lamina propria. The steroid treatment study (including 12 patients) showed that the perfusate concentrations of ECP, bFGF and VEGF declined significantly in parallel with decreased frequency of diarrhoea. </p><p>In conclusion, a safe colonoscope-based, segmental perfusion technique was developed and perfusions of the rectum and descending colon were performed. CC patients had elevated perfusate concentrations of ECP, VEGF and bFGF. There was a marked reduction of these mediators during steroid treatment supporting the hypothesis that these inflammatory mediators separately or synergistically participate in the inflammatory reaction and tissue remodelling in CC patients. The finding of correlations between albumin and ECP or VEGF implies that permeability is increased in CC and may be triggered by ECP and VEGF. </p>

Collagenous colitis (CC) is an inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. It is characterized by watery diarrhoea without blood, normal endoscopic findings but microscopically colonic mucosal inflammation and increased thickness of the subepithelial collagen band, the latter being a pathognomonic sign. The inflammatory infiltrate in the mucosa of CC contains lymphocytes, plasma cells, eosinophils, mast cells but few neutrophils. The pathophysiological roles of the thickened collagen band and the inflammatory infiltrate in CC are not fully understood. The aims of the present study were to develop a colonoscope based segmental perfusions technique and to analyze local intestinal secretion of inflammatory mediators: Eosinophilic Cationic Protein (ECP), Myeloperoxidase (MPO), Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and permeability marker albumin in CC patients without medication and also during steroid treatment. Furthermore, the colonic mucosal distribution of bFGF and VEGF were studied by immunohistochemical methods. Colonoscope-based segmental perfusions were performed in totally 22 patients and the success rate was 76% in both rectal and descending colon segments. The analysis showed high intraluminal concentrations of ECP, bFGF, VEGF and albumin in ten CC patients compared to 10 control patients. Further, albumin had correlations with ECP and VEGF. However, elevated concentrations of MPO, an important feature of ulcerative colitis, were only observed in a few CC patients. Immunohistochemistry visualized bFGF and VEGF in the colonic epithelium but also deeper in the lamina propria. The steroid treatment study (including 12 patients) showed that the perfusate concentrations of ECP, bFGF and VEGF declined significantly in parallel with decreased frequency of diarrhoea. In conclusion, a safe colonoscope-based, segmental perfusion technique was developed and perfusions of the rectum and descending colon were performed. CC patients had elevated perfusate concentrations of ECP, VEGF and bFGF. There was a marked reduction of these mediators during steroid treatment supporting the hypothesis that these inflammatory mediators separately or synergistically participate in the inflammatory reaction and tissue remodelling in CC patients. The finding of correlations between albumin and ECP or VEGF implies that permeability is increased in CC and may be triggered by ECP and VEGF.

Abstract Collagen XIII belongs to the subgroup of collagenous transmembrane proteins. It has a wide tissue distribution and has been localized to many sites of cell-matrix and cell-cell interaction in tissues. Biochemical and in silico analyses of collagen XIII and other collagenous transmembrane proteins revealed that the biosynthesis of this structurally varied group is characterized by a coiled-coil motif following the transmembrane domain, and these trimerization domains appear to be associated with each of the collagenous domains. The collagen XIII trimer was shown to have an interchain disulfide bond at the junction of the NC1 and COL1 domains, and several other collagenous transmembrane proteins have a pair of cysteines in the same location. Furthermore, furin cleavage at the NC1 domain can be expected in most of the proteins. Mice heterozygous for the Col13a1del transgene, encoding a mutant collagen XIII, developed clonal mature B-cell lineage lymphomas originating in the mesenteric lymph node (MLN). The incidence of disease in conventionally reared mice was 2-fold higher than for mice raised in a specific pathogen-free facility. The lymphomas often associated with large populations of macrophages and T cells. Lymphomas expressed little if any collagen XIII, suggesting that the effect of the mutation was B-cell extrinsic and likely to be associated with collagen XIII-positive tissues drained by the MLN. Studies of the small intestines of transgenic mice showed highly abnormal subepithelial basement membranes (BM), associated with heightened expression of genes involved in immune responses. These findings suggest that collagen XIII-dependent maintenance of the intestinal BM is a critical determinant of cancer susceptibility. Collagen XIII exhibited a wide tissue distribution at the protein level, and the most intense expression was found in lung. Tissues contained 1-4 collagen XIII polypeptides, their size ranging between 78 and 102 kDa. Collagen XIII staining was detected in a restricted set of blood vessels in the liver, pancreas, adrenal gland, epididymis and brain. Moreover, Col13a1del transgene expression in the absence of endogenous collagen XIII proved to be deleterious for mouse embryonal development, leading to early fetal mortality.

Orientador: Edson Rosa Pimentel / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-04T02:52:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Hocoya_LuciaMassuda_M.pdf: 1034739 bytes, checksum: b693a6ca4a0d913bdd0884beaa896940 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Resumo: A valva mitral é uma complexa estrutura de tecido conjuntivo, constituída por proteínas colagênicas, não colagênicas e proteoglicanos. Histologicamente, o folheto valvar é constituído por 4 camadas: auricular, esponjosa, fibrosa e ventricular. A camada fibrosa forma o núcleo estrutural, enquanto a camada esponjosa funciona como amortecedor de choques. A corda tendínea possui 2 camadas distintas, um largo núcleo fibroso e uma camada esponjosa ao redor. Várias anormalidades da valva mitral têm sido constatadas, desde lesões causadas por acúmulo degenerativo de cálcio, endocardite infecciosa e anormalidades relacionadas com alterações da quantidade de colágeno, ácido hialurônico e glicosaminoglicanos. Entre os tratamentos normalmente utilizados, tem-se realizado técnica de reparo de porções da valva danificadas, ou a substituição destas por valvas artificiais ou biopróteses. Para tanto, um melhor conhecimento sobre os aspectos organizacionais e composicionais são necessários, tanto do folheto, como da corda tendínea. Para a análise morfológica, montagem total e cortes histológicos do folheto e corda tendínea foram corados com azul de toluidina e analisados em microscopia de polarização. Feixes de colágeno intensamente birrefringentes foram encontrados altamente organizados na corda tendínea e com orientação multidirecional no folheto, onde fibrilas colágenas vindas da corda tendínea ramificam-se e entrelaçam-se formando uma estrutura em rede no folheto. A metacromasia foi intensa nas regiões de inserção das cordas tendíneas no folheto, ocorrendo de maneira não uniforme. Cortes transversais do folheto mostraram a camada esponjosa, com características de tecido conjuntivo frouxo, e a fibrosa, onde os feixes de colágeno estão densamente arranjados. Para o estudo bioquímico componentes da matriz extracelular foram extraídos com cloreto de guanidina 4M, fracionados em DEAE-Sephacel e analisados em SDS-PAGE. As proteínas não colagênicas encontradas mostraram Mr entre 19 e 179 kDa e 19 e 235 kDa para o folheto e corda tendínea respectivamente. Várias proteínas similares são encontradas em ambos os tecidos. Bandas polidispersas em torno de 67 kDa e 80-100 kDa foram encontradas, as quais provavelmente correspondem aos pequenos proteoglicanos fibromodulim e decorim respectivamente. Análise em gel de agarose-poliacrilamida revelou a presença de banda polidispersa e matacromática, indicando a presença de proteoglicanos de alto peso molecular, que provavelmente trata-se do versicam, tanto no folheto, como na corda tendínea. A análise de GAGs mostrou a presença de condroitim sulfato e dermatam sulfato nas duas regiões. De acordo com nossos estudos bioquímicos e morfológicos, podemos concluir que: 1) A corda tendínea apresentou maiores quantidades de proteínas e glicosaminoglicanos que o folheto; 2) Pequenos e grandes proteoglicanos estão presentes em ambos os tecidos; 3) Os feixes de colágeno estão altamente organizados na corda tendínea, enquanto assumem várias direções no folheto; 4) A distribuição de proteoglicanos no folheto ocorre de maneira não uniforme, provavelmente devido a atuação também não uniforme de forças compressivas nesta estrutura / Abstract:The mitral valve is a complex connective tissue structure, constituted by collagenous proteins, non collagenous proteins and proteoglycans. Structurally the valve leaflets are composed of four main layers: auricularis, fibrosa, spongiosa and ventricularis. The fibrosa layer forms the structural core of the valve, while the spongiosa has an important role in absorption of shock. The chordae tendineae has two distinct layers, a large fibrous core surrounded by a spongenous layer. Several abnormalities of mitral valve have been reported, as the result of injuries caused by degenerative calcium accumulation, infectious endocarditis and disorders associated with collagen content, hyaluronic acid and glycosaminoglycans abnormalities. Among the treatments normally used, have been realized repair techniques of portions of the valve or replacement of these with a prosthetic valve or bioprostheses. Detailed information about organization and composition aspects of the leaflets and chordae tendineae are necessary. For morphological analysis, whole mounts and histological sections of leaflets and chordae tendineae were stained by toluidine blue. Analysis of whole mounts in polarization microscopy showed an intense brightness of the collagen fibrils, demonstrating the high molecular organization of the collagen in the chordae tendineae while in the valve leaflets collagen fiber is multidirectional. In this case, collagen fibrils coming from the chordae tendineae branch cross each other forming a network-like structure. Intense metachromasy was observed in leaflet region of chordae tendineae insertion, with a non uniform distribution. Leaflets transversal sections showed the spongiosa layer with soft connective tissue characteristics, and the fibrosa, where collagens bundles are highly arranged. For the biochemical study extracelular matrix components were extracted with 4M guanidinium chloride, fractionated in DEAE-Sephacel and analysed by SDS-PAGE. The non collagenous proteins found showed Mr values between 19-179kDa and 19-235kDa to the leaflet and chordae tendineae respectively. Several similar proteins were found in both tissues. Polidisperses bands around 70kDa and 80-100kDa which probably correspond to the small proteoglycans fibromodulin and decorin respectively were found. The analysis in agarose-polyacrylamide gel revealed a polydisperse and metachromatic band in the leaflet and chordae tendineae, indicating the presence of proteoglycans of high molecular weight presumables versican. According to our morphological and biochemical studies, it may be concluded that: 1) The chordae tendineae showed larger amounts of proteins and glycosaminoglycans than the leaflet; 2) Small and large proteoglycans are present in both tissues; 3) The collagen bundles are highly organized in the chordae tendineae while in the leaflet they have a multidirectional arrangement; 4) Proteoglycans have a non uniform distribution in the leaflets, probably due to a non uniform action of compressive forces on these structures / Mestrado / Biologia Celular / Mestre em Biologia Celular

1.Adult specimens of Ascaris lumbricoides of similar weights were incubated under nitrogen for 24 hours in a synthetic medium with 1 mM 2,2′-dipyridyl.2.Under these conditions, the viability of the parasites was not affected as evidenced by the amount of ATP in the whole sample and the mobility after mechanical stimulus.3.Incorporation of [14C]proline into non-collagenous proteins in the body wall and cuticle was reproducibly higher in 2,2′-dipyridyl-treated specimens than in untreated worms. Synthesis of collagenous hydroxyproline was inhibited in the cuticle and, to a greater extent, in the muscle layer.4.After transferring the specimens into a fresh medium enriched with 0·1 mM ferrous ions and incubated under 70% oxygen, the muscle collagen remained underhydroxylated. The synthesis of hydroxyproline, however, was almost completely normalized in the cuticle collagen.5.We interpret the data as further evidence of the existence of at least two different enzymes hydroxylating collagenous proline, one located in the subcuticle and the other in the muscle layer of Ascaris lumbricoides.