Proefschrift--Utrecht. / Summary in Dutch. "Stellingen": [2] L. laid in. Bibliography: p. [325]-340.

Proefschrift--Utrecht. / Summary in Dutch. "Stellingen": [2] L. laid in. Bibliography: p. [325]-340.

No description available.

Thesis (doctoral)--Liège, 1979.

No description available.

Cancer procoagulant (EC 3.4.22.26) is an enzyme that is derived from tumour and foetal tissue, but not normal tissue. It is a direct activator of factor X and has been isolated from amnion-chorion membranes as well as from extracts and cells from human melanoma. The presence of cancer procoagulant has been associated with the malignant phenotype, as well as having a particularly high activity in metastatic cells. Cancer procoagulant activity is elevated in the serum of early stage breast cancer patients and decreased to normal in the advanced stages of the disease. In this study, cancer procoagulant was successfully isolated from amnion-chorion membranes and purified to homogeneity. The molecular weight of cancer procoagulant was determined using SDS-PAGE and was found to be 68 kDa. Cancer procoagulant was delipidated and it was shown that its activity was increased by the presence of lipids in a dose-dependent manner. Recovery of cancer procoagulant after delipidation is poor, consequently, a larger mass of sample is required to obtain sufficient amounts of delipidated material for N-terminal amino acid analysis. The optimum pH of cancer procoagulant was determined to be pH 8 and its optimal temperature was found to be 50°C. Novel synthetic substrates were designed to assay for cancer procoagulant activity. Currently, 2 potential candidates have been identified, namely, PQVR-AMC and AVSQSKP-AMC. Cancer procoagulant-induced expression of cytokines is differently modulated in the less aggressive MCF-7 cell line as compared to the metastatic and more aggressive MDA-MB-231 cell line. There are marked similarities in the inflammatory response produced by cancer procoagulant in hTERT-HDLEC and MDA-MB-231 cells, which are both associated with migratory capacity. Furthermore, cancer procoagulant-induced PDGF-β expression in hTERT-HDLEC and MDA-MB-231 cells could point to involvement of cancer procoagulant in wound healing and metastatic spread, respectively. Cancer procoagulant induced the motility of MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and hTERT- cells in vitro in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Together, these results suggest that cancer procoagulant plays a role in the migration of breast cancer cells as well as the migration of endothelial cells.

Currently, there is little known about stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) eggs, their natural enemies, and their susceptibility to insecticides. A survey of stink bug egg parasitoids was conducted in row crops and vegetables in eastern Virginia. Parasitization was highest in Euschistus servus (Say) with 89.7% and 49.2% of egg masses and individual eggs parasitized, respectively, followed by Acrosternum hilare (Say), with nearly half of all individual eggs parasitized. The most common parasitoid was Telenomus podisi Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Laboratory egg-dip bioassays and field applications of acephate, lambda-cyhalothrin, spinosad, and thiamethoxam, were carried out to determine efficacy against nonparasitized E. servus and A. hilare eggs, and T. podisi embryos developing in E. servus eggs. Results showed that eggs of both species were susceptible to insecticides, that there was little difference among insecticides, but there was generally greater mortality in field-treated versus dipped eggs. Developing T. podisi were generally more susceptible to insecticides than stink bugs. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate oviposition sites as possible sites of insecticide movement into eggs. Oviposition wounds and holes made by a tungsten probe were similarly sealed by a "scab", so it was not clear whether these wounds allow for increased insecticide movement into parasitized eggs. Differences in chorion permeability of non-parasitized and parasitized eggs were compared by immersing them in solutions containing different ¹⁴C-ammended insecticides at field application rates for 0, 30, 120 or 240 minutes. Results showed that insecticide movement into the egg increased significantly with immersion time for both acephate and λ-cyhalothrin, but there were no significant differences between nonparasitized and parasitized eggs. Neither immersion time nor egg status was significant for thiamethoxam. A model was constructed that predicts amount of insecticide entering the egg at any given time. An 8-week survey for the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) was conducted in Beijing and five other cities in China. Incidence of egg parasitism was recorded. Results showed that H. halys utilized at least four different plants throughout the summer, and insects were found in Nanjing, Kunming, and Xi'an. Parasitization of eggs was noted, and the parasitoids were identified as Trissolcus halyomorphae Yang (Scelionidae: Hymenoptera) by K.A. Hoelmer (USDA-ARS). / Ph. D.

Thesis (doctoral)--Lund, 1984. / Submitted, together with papers previously published (listed on p. 7) as thesis, Lund.

Automobile crashes are the largest cause of death for pregnant females and the leading cause of traumatic fetal injury mortality in the United States. The first way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother considering that maternal death has a near 100% fetal loss rate. If the mother survives, protection of the fetus may best be accomplished by preventing placental abruption. Placental abruption, which is the premature separation of the placenta from the uterus, has been shown to account for 50% to 70% of fetal losses in motor vehicle crashes. Since real world crash data for pregnant occupants is limited to a retrospective analysis and pregnant cadaver studies are not feasible, crash test dummies and computational modeling have been utilized to evaluate the risk of adverse fetal outcome. Although pregnant occupant research has progressed with these tools, they are based on limited tissue data. In order to have more accurate research tools, better pregnant tissue material data are needed. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to provide material properties for the placenta and pregnant uterine tissue in dynamic tension. / Ph. D.

O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar morfologicamente o desenvolvimento inicial da gestação bovina proveniente de monta natural, com idades compreendidas entre 15 a 70 dias, e de fecundação in vitro (FIV) com 35 dias, com ênfase no desenvolvimento placentário inicial, e diferenciação das estruturas extra embrionárias. Para tanto, foram utilizados 141 conceptos, provenientes de monta natural, e sete conceptos obtidos pela técnica de FIV. Após as coletas, os conceptos foram dissecados, mensurados macroscopicamente e fotodocumentados. As membranas extra-embrionárias foram cortadas em fragmentos de 5 cm2, e, em seguida fixadas em paraformoldeído 4%, para análise por microscopia de luz, e glutaraldeído 2,5%, para utilização em microscopia eletrônica de varredura e transmissão. As membranas extra-embrionárias e fetais apresentaram graus variáveis de desenvolvimento ao longo dos períodos analisados. O aparecimento macroscópico da vascularização do alantóide, sua tentativa de se fundir com o cório e o aparecimento efetivo dos primeiros cotilédones em desenvolvimento, foram eventos observados em embriões a partir de 1,9±0,27 cm de \"Crown-Rump\" (CR) (30 a 40 dias da gestação). O CR médio, o peso do embrião, o peso do saco gestacional e os comprimentos do cório e âmnio aumentaram gradativamente com o evoluir da gestação. O epitélio alantoidiano apresentou um dimorfismo celular a partir de 0,9 cm de CR (15 a 20 dias de gestação), porém, mostrou-se imaturo até o feto atingir o comprimento de 7,2 cm de CR (60 a 70 dias da gestação). O trofoblasto apresentou células mononucleadas e células gigantes binucleadas em diferentes níveis ao longo da gestação. O saco vitelino persistiu até 70 dias de gestação, e o seu epitélio apresentou indícios de atividade funcional até 50 dias de gestação. De todos os parâmetros mensurados na análise macroscópica, somente o comprimento o CR e o saco vitelino apresentaram diferença significativa entre os conceptos de monta natural e de FIV. Nos conceptos de monta natural, o comprimento do saco vitelino foi de 5,53 cm, em média, e nos conceptos de FIV, de apenas 1,07 cm. Todavia, faz-se necessário analisar um número maior de animais submetidos a FIV para corroborar a diferença encontrada nestas medidas. Os resultados sugerem ainda a existência de uma placenta vitelínica ativa, importante para a manutenção da gestação, que se estabelece temporariamente entre a placenta coriovitelínica e alantovitelínica transitória e a placenta cório-alantóide definitiva. / The main goal of this study was to describe morphology and the early gestational development of 15 to 70 day-old bovine embryos obtained by natural mating and 35 day-old bovine embryos obtained by in vitro fertilization (IFV) technique. One hundred and forty-one concepts originated by natural mating and seven by IVF technique were used. All concepts were dissected, macroscopically measured and photographed. Extraembryonic membranes were cut in 5 cm2 fragments and fixed in 4% paraformoldehyde for light and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and in 2.5% glutaraldehyde for Transmition Electron Microscopy (TEM). Ali membranes showed different stages of development during analyzed periods. The beginning of allantois macroscopic vascularization, the attempt of fusion between allantois and chorium membranes and the effective development of the first cotyledons were observed in 30-to-40 day-old embryos with 1.9± 0.24 cm of Crown-Rump (CR) length. The average CR, the embryos and gestational sac weight, the chorion and amnion length increased during gestation. The allantoic epithelia showed a cellular dimorphism with 0.9 em CR, however, the maturation has not happened until the foetal length of 7.2 em CR. The trophoblast showed different levels of mononucleate cells and binucleate giant cells. The yolk sac persisted until 70 days of gestation and the epithelium seemed functionally activated until 50 days of gestation. The CR and yolk sac size were the only measured macroscopic parameter showingdifference between natural mating and FIV concepts. Yolk sac size presented average values of 5.53 cm and 1.07 cm for natural mating and FIV concepts, respectively. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze a higher number of FIV embryos to corroborate that observed yolk sac size difference. All results obtained in this study suggest the existent of an active vitelline placenta, important to the gestational maintenance and temporarily establish between the transitory choriovitelline placenta and the permanent chorioallantoic placenta.