Lessons from culturally contrasted alternative methods of inquiry and styles of comprehension for the new foundations in the study of life

Contemporary scientific approaches to Biology are the result of some cultural ideas considered as universal by Western reductionist traditions. The study of the cultural, symbolic and historical approaches to reality and Life provides us important lessons about the necessity of integrating Eastern holistic views into the study of Life. This is both an epistemological and ontological enhancement which provides more powerful and insightful ways to deal with Life and its understanding.

Situated phenomenology and biological systems: Eastern and Western synthesis

Phenomenology was born with the mission to give foundations for science of experience and to open consciousness to scientific study. The influence of phenomenology initiated in the works of Husserl and continued in a wide range of works of others was immense, but mainly within the confines of philosophy and the humanities. The actual attempts to develop a scientific discipline of the study of consciousness and to carry out research on cognition and consciousness were always based on the methods of traditional science in which elimination of the subjective has been always a primary tenet. Thus, focus was mainly on neurological correlates of conscious phenomena. The present paper is an attempt to initiate an extension and revision of phenomenological methodology with the use of philosophical and scientific experience and knowledge accumulated in a century of inquiry and research in relevant disciplines. The question which disciplines are relevant is crucial and our answer is innovative. The range of disciplines involved here is from information science and studies of computation, up to cultural psychology and the studies of philosophical traditions of the East. Concepts related to information and computation studies provide a general conceptual framework free from the limitations of particular languages and of linguistic analysis. This conceptual framework is extending the original perspective of phenomenology to issues of modern technology and science. Cultural psychology gives us tools to root out what in phenomenology was considered universal for humanity, but was a result of European ethnocentrism. Most important here is the contrast between individualistic and collectivistic cultural determinants of consciousness. Finally, philosophical tradition of the East gives alternatives in seeking solutions for fundamental problems. This general outline of the research methodology is illustrated by an example of its use when phenomenology is studied within the conceptual framework of information.

Quantitative analysis of the electroencephalogram during cranial electrotherapy stimulation

OBJECTIVE

Normal individuals were used to quantitate electroencephalographic (EEG) changes during concurrent administration of 0.5 and 100 Hz cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES).

METHODS

Twelve normal, right-handed males were used in a randomized, double-blind crossover design study. A 3 amplifier system incorporating noise-cancellation was used to collect one channel of EEG (O1-Cz configuration) for 30 min. Either 0.5, 100 Hz, or sham CES treatment was administered for 20 min of each session. Statistical analyses were applied to time- and frequency-domain EEG variables.

RESULTS

Relative to sham control, 0.5 and 100 Hz CES caused the alpha band mean frequency to shift downward. Additionally, 100 Hz CES also caused a decrease of the alpha band median frequency and beta band power fraction.

CONCLUSIONS

Both 0.5 and 100 Hz CES provide frequency distribution shifts that suggest beneficial changes in mental state. However, compared to 0.5 Hz CES, 100 Hz CES effected a greater overall change. It is suggested that similar tests be performed on individuals with various behavioral and neurological disorders to determine if comparable EEG changes can be realized and correlated with beneficial effects of CES therapy.

The role of arterial elastance in ventricular-arterial coupling in normal gravity and altered acceleration environments

The role of physiological elastance (Ep) in maximizing external work (EW) transfer is not well understood and has not been investigated during microgravity and increased acceleration conditions. By better understanding this relationship, cardiovascular control mechanisms for meeting metabolic demands during normal gravity and altered acceleration stresses may be elucidated. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine the effect of Ep in maximizing EW of the left ventricle and to investigate this relationship during altered acceleration states. Ventricular and arterial parameters were estimated using established lumped parameter models from isolated beats of experimental data. These data were obtained during parabolic flight (0 and approximately 2 Gz) and centrifuge runs (approximately 1 to approximately 4 Gz) where acceleration was used to drive the cardiovascular system into a wide range of physiologic operating and coupling conditions. Parameter estimates at each Gz level were used in a series of computer simulations in which Ep was varied over a wide range to find the point of maximum EW for that coupling condition. Cardiac output and mean arterial pressure were maintained throughout the simulation process by adjusting heart rate. Results of the simulation showed that as arterial elastance decreased from its initially estimated (physiologic) value, external work increased slightly and as elastance increased, external work decreased. In particular, we found that the arterial elastance was set at a point near that which would produce maximal external work. In addition, it was found that altered Gz states may affect the Ep-EW relationship.

An alpha modulation index for electroencephalographic studies using complex demodulation

An automated technique for measuring the relative amount of amplitude modulation of electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha activity is developed to increase the number of existing tools for differentiating the various types of alpha activity. EEG data collected from 12 normal males is used to characterize alpha modulation frequency characteristics. From these findings, a complex demodulation method is constructed to extract the amplitude modulation envelope of alpha activity from an epoch of EEG data while disregarding both continuous amplitude alpha activity and activity outside the alpha band. A threshold technique is then used to determine the relative amount of modulation contained within the data epoch. This metric is termed the alpha modulation index (AMI). Good correlation (R2 = 0.86) is found when automated scoring results are compared with manual scoring of physiologic EEG alpha modulation. The flexibility of this technique makes it easily adaptable to other EEG frequency bands and applications.

Stoichiometry of the large conductance bacterial mechanosensitive channel of E. coli. A biochemical study

MscL, a 15 kDa transmembrane protein, is the only component involved in the formation of a 3 nS channel in the inner membrane of Escherichia coli that opens in response to mechanical or osmotic stress. While previous data had suggested that the functional MscL complex might be a hexamer, a recent crystallographic study of the MscL homologue from M. tuberculosis reveals a pentameric structure. The present work further examines the stoichiometry of the E. coli MscL using a variety of biochemical approaches. Detergent-purified 6His-MscL in solution and MscL in the membrane could be chemically crosslinked with the products displaying ladderlike patterns on SDS gels. Three crosslinking agents (EDC, DMS, and DMA) used at saturating concentrations invariably generated pentamers as the largest product. DSS produced additional bands corresponding to larger complexes although the pentamer band appeared to be the predominant product at high levels of crosslinker. It is not clear whether these extra bands reflect a difference in the crosslinking chemistry of DSS or whether its spacer arm is the longest of those used, or a combination of both facts. For the detergent-solubilized 6His-MscL both sedimentation equilibrium and gel chromatography showed the presence of multiple species. Thus the longer spacer arm could permit both intra- and intercomplex linkages. Nonetheless, the patterns obtained with all agents are consistent with and strongly suggest a pentameric organization for the MscL channel. Expression of MscL as genetically engineered double or triple subunit tandems yields low numbers of functional channels as compared to expressed monomers. The double-tandem assemblies must have an even number of subunits and crosslinking in the membrane confirmed hexamerization. Gel chromatography clearly demonstrated that the channels formed from the double tandems were larger than those formed from WT MscL, consistent with the native channel being pentameric. The observation that both double and triple tandems form channels of normal conductance implies that the pentameric assembly is to some degree independent of the number of subunit repeats in the polypeptide precursor. The channel is thus a pentameric core with the 'extra' subunits left out of the functional complex. From sedimentation equilibrium and size-exclusion chromatography, we also conclude that MscL complexes are not in a dynamic equilibrium with monomers, but are pre-assembled; and thus, their gating properties must result from changes in the conformation of the entire complex induced by the mechanical stress.

Development of a flow feedback pulse duplicator system with rhesus monkey arterial input impedance characteristics

An in vitro pulsatile pump flow system that is capable of producing physiologic pressures and flows in a mock circulatory system tuned to reproduce the first nine harmonics of the input impedance of a rhesus monkey was developed and tested. The system was created as a research tool for evaluating cardiovascular function and for the design, testing, and evaluation of electrical-mechanical cardiovascular models and chronically implanted sensors. The system possesses a computerized user interface for controlling a linear displacement pulsatile pump in a controlled flow loop format to emulate in vivo cardiovascular characteristics. Evaluation of the pump system consisted of comparing its aortic pressure and flow profiles with in vivo rhesus hemodynamic waveforms in the time and frequency domains. Comparison of aortic pressure and flow data between the pump system and in vivo data showed good agreement in the time and frequency domains, however, the pump system produced a larger pulse pressure. The pump system can be used for comparing cardiovascular parameters with predicted cardiovascular model values and for evaluating such items as vascular grafts, heart valves, biomaterials, and sensors. This article describes the development and evaluation of this feedback controlled cardiovascular dynamics simulation modeling system.

Fast estimation of arterial vascular parameters for transient and steady beats with application to hemodynamic state under variant gravitational conditions

Numerous parameter estimation techniques exist for characterizing the arterial system using electrical circuit analogs. These techniques are often limited by requiring steady-state beat conditions and can be computationally expensive. Therefore, a new method was developed to estimate arterial parameters during steady and transient beat conditions. A four-element electrical analog circuit was used to model the arterial system. The input impedance equations for this model were derived and reduced to their real and imaginary components. Next, the physiological input impedance was calculated by computing fast Fourier transforms of physiological aortic pressure (AoP) and aortic flow. The approach was to reduce the error between the calculated model impedance and the physiological arterial impedance using a Jacobian matrix technique which iteratively adjusted arterial parameter values. This technique also included algorithms for estimating physiological arterial parameters for nonsteady physiological AoP beats. The method was insensitive to initial parameter estimates and to small errors in the physiological impedance coefficients. When the estimation technique was applied to in vivo data containing steady and transient beats it reliably estimated Windkessel arterial parameters under a wide range of physiological conditions. Further, this method appears to be more computationally efficient compared to time-domain approaches.

Mutations in a bacterial mechanosensitive channel change the cellular response to osmotic stress

MscL is a channel found in bacterial plasma membranes that opens a large pore in response to mechanical stress. Here we demonstrate that some mutations within this channel protein (K31D and K31E) evoke a cellular phenotype in which the growth rate is severely depressed. Increasing the osmolarity of the growth medium partially rescues this "slowed growth" phenotype and decreases an abnormal cytosolic potassium loss observed in cells expressing the mutants. In addition, upon sudden decrease in osmolarity (osmotic downshock) more cytoplasmic potassium is released from cells expressing the mutants than cells expressing wild-type MscL. After osmotic downshock, all cells remained viable; hence, the differences in potassium efflux observed are not due to cell lysis but instead appear to be an exaggeration of the normal response to this sudden change in environmental osmolarity. Patch clamp studies in native bacterial membranes substantiate the hypothesis that these mutant channels are more sensitive to mechanical stresses, especially at voltages approaching those estimated for bacterial membrane potentials. These data are consistent with a crucial role for MscL in the adaptation to large osmotic downshock and suggest that if the normally tight regulation of MscL gating is disrupted, cell growth can be severely inhibited.

Development and characterization of a conditionally immortalized human osteoblastic cell line stably transfected with the human androgen receptor gene

Androgens have significant beneficial effects on the skeleton. However, studies on the effects of androgens on osteoblasts are limited due to the absence of appropriate model systems that combine completeness of the osteoblastic phenotype, rapid proliferation rate, and stable expression of the androgen receptor (AR). Thus, we stably transfected the conditionally immortalized human fetal osteoblastic cell line (hFOB) with the human wild-type AR (hAR) cDNA. Compared to nontransfected hFOB cells, constitutive hAR mRNA expression in three independent hAR-transfected hFOB clones (hFOB/AR) was 15-fold higher in hFOB/AR-16, 62-fold higher in hFOB/AR-2, and 72-fold higher in hFOB/AR-6 cells, respectively, as assessed by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Detectable constitutive levels of hAR mRNA by Northern blot analysis were present in hFOB/AR-2 and hFOB/AR-6 cells, but not in hFOB/AR-16 or hFOB cells, respectively. Treatment with 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (5 alpha-DHT) (10(-8) M) for 24 h did not alter hAR mRNA steady state levels in the hFOB/AR cell lines. Nuclear binding studies demonstrated 152 +/- 73 (mean +/- SEM) functional hARs/nucleus in non-transfected hFOB cells, 3,940 +/- 395 functional hARs/nucleus in hFOB/AR-2 cells, and 3,987 +/- 823 hARs/nucleus in hFOB/AR-6 cells, respectively. Treatment with 5 alpha-DHT increased the expression of a transiently transfected androgen response element-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (ARE-CAT) reporter construct in hFOB/AR-6 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner; no such effect was observed in transiently transfected hFOB cells lacking exogenously transfected hARs. Moreover, 5 alpha-DHT-induced ARE-CAT expression was inhibited by the selective androgen receptor antagonist, hydroxyflutamide. In summary, we have developed and characterized androgen-responsive osteoblastic cell lines derived from normal human fetal bone that express physiological levels of functional hARs. These cell lines should provide a suitable model for further studies on the effects of androgens on osteoblast function, including the identification of potential androgen-regulated growth factors and cytokines.

Single residue substitutions that change the gating properties of a mechanosensitive channel in Escherichia coli

MscL is a channel that opens a large pore in the Escherichia coli cytoplasmic membrane in response to mechanical stress. Previously, we highly enriched the MscL protein by using patch clamp as a functional assay and cloned the corresponding gene. The predicted protein contains a largely hydrophobic core spanning two-thirds of the molecule and a more hydrophilic carboxyl terminal tail. Because MscL had no homology to characterized proteins, it was impossible to predict functional regions of the protein by simple inspection. Here, by mutagenesis, we have searched for functionally important regions of this molecule. We show that a short deletion from the amino terminus (3 amino acids), and a larger deletion of 27 amino acids from the carboxyl terminus of this protein, had little if any effect in channel properties. We have thus narrowed the search of the core mechanosensitive mechanism to 106 residues of this 136-amino acid protein. In contrast, single residue substitutions of a lysine in the putative first transmembrane domain or a glutamine in the periplasmic loop caused pronounced shifts in the mechano-sensitivity curves and/or large changes in the kinetics of channel gating, suggesting that the conformational structure in these regions is critical for normal mechanosensitive channel gating.

Membrane topology and multimeric structure of a mechanosensitive channel protein of Escherichia coli

We have studied the membrane topology and multimeric structure of a mechanosensitive channel, MscL, which we previously isolated and cloned from Escherichia coli. We have localized this 15-kDa protein to the inner membrane and, by PhoA fusion, have shown that it contains two transmembrane domains with both the amino and carboxyl termini on the cytoplasmic side. Mutation of the glutamate at position 56 to histidine led to changes in channel kinetics which were dependent upon the pH on the periplasmic, but not cytoplasmic side of the membrane, providing additional evidence for the periplasmic positioning of this part of the molecule. Tandems of two MscL subunits expressed as a single polypeptide formed functional channels, suggesting an even number of transmembrane domains per subunit (amino and carboxyl termini on the same side of the membrane), and an even number of subunits per functional complex. Finally, cross-linking studies suggest that the functional MscL complex is a homohexamer. In summary, these data are all consistent with a protein domain assignment and topological model which we propose and discuss.

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 induces growth inhibition of a human medullary thyroid carcinoma cell line despite an increase in steady state c-myc messenger ribonucleic acid levels

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is an endocrine tumor of the thyroid C-cells which provides an important experimental model for studies of tumor differentiation and progression. We investigated the effects of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF beta 1) on the growth and functional characteristics of a human medullary thyroid carcinoma cell line (TT). Because the c-myc protooncogene may play an important role in the growth inhibition induced by TGF beta 1, we also assessed steady state c-myc messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in these cells. A 6-day exposure of TT cells to TGF beta 1 resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation. In addition, TGF beta 1 exposure led to a 3-fold increase in nonadherent floating TT cells in the culture supernatants. The floating cells exhibited ultrastructural features of dying or apoptotic cells, including chromatin condensation, cytoplasmic and nuclear vesicularization, and DNA degradation with evidence of internucleosomal DNA "laddering." Despite inhibition of cell proliferation, steady state c-myc mRNA levels were 3.6 +/- 0.6-fold higher in cells exposed to TGF beta 1 compared to those in control cells (P < 0.001). Exposure of cells to a 15-base antisense c-myc oligonucleotide (10 microM) resulted in an attenuation of the TGF beta 1-induced growth inhibition and induction of cell death. TGF beta 1 also resulted in an approximately 3-fold decrease in steady state calcitonin and calcitonin gene-related peptide mRNA levels. Finally, using a sensitive bioassay for TGF beta, TT cells were shown to produce and activate significant amounts of TGF beta, particularly under conditions of serum deprivation. Our data thus indicate that TGF beta 1 has multiple effects on TT cell growth and function. It induces growth inhibition in the presence of an increase in steady state mRNA levels of the c-myc protooncogene, which is usually associated with cell proliferation. In addition, TGF beta 1 accelerates apoptosis in TT cells.