The W alloying effect on thermal stability and hardening of nanostructured Cu-W alloyed thin films

In order to achieve desired mechanical properties of alloys by manipulating grain boundaries (GBs) via solute decoration, it is of great significance to understand the underlying mechanisms of microstructural evolution and plastic deformation. In this work, nanocrystalline (NC) Cu-W alloyed films with W concentrations spanning from 0 to 40 at% were prepared by using magnetron sputtering. Thermal stability (within the temperature range of 200 °C-600 °C) and hardness of the films were investigated by using the x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and nanoindentation, respectively. The NC pure Cu film exhibited substantial grain growth upon all annealing temperatures. The Cu-W alloyed films, however, displayed distinct microstructural evolution that depended not only on the W concentration but also on the annealing temperature. At a low temperature of 200 °C, all the Cu-W alloyed films were highly stable, with unconspicuous change in grain sizes. At high temperatures of 400 °C and 600 °C, the microstructural evolution was greatly controlled by the W concentrations. The Cu-W films with low W concentration manifested abnormal grain growth (AGG), while the ones with high W concentrations showed phase separation. TEM observations unveiled that the AGG in the Cu-W alloyed thin films was rationalized by GB migration. Nanoindentation results showed that, although the hardness of both the as-deposited and annealed Cu-W alloyed thin films monotonically increased with W concentrations, a transition from annealing hardening to annealing softening was interestingly observed at the critical W addition of ∼25 at%. It was further revealed that an enhanced GB segregation associated with detwinning was responsible for the annealing hardening, while a reduced solid solution hardening for the annealing softening.

A preliminary study on topical ozonated oil in the therapeutic management of atopic dermatitis in murine

OBJECTIVE

To explore whether ozonated oil recovery atopic dermatitis (AD) via immunoregulation.

METHODS

Mice were repeatedly challenged with the triplex allergens of staphylococcal enterotoxin B, ovalbumin and calcipotriol ointment on the back to develop AD lesions, and were treated with ozonated oil. The lesional skins were scanned by reflectance confocal microscopy to measure the thickness of epidermis. The skin tissues were stained. Th1-type and Th2-type cytokines in serum and in tissues were detected by ELISA and real-time PCR, respectively.

RESULTS

Ozonated oil significantly inhibited inflammation and healed the lesions in 7 d. Ozonated oil inhibited NGF expression as compared to the groups treated with vehicle or PBS (p < .01).The serum proteins and lesional transcripts of Th2 cytokines including IL-4 and IL-31 were lower in the ozonated oil treated group than the groups treated with vehicle or PBS (p < .05). The IL-10 level was increased with treatment of ozonated oil (p < .01). On the other hand, the expressions of Th1 cytokines including IL-2, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in the serum were not regulated by ozonated oil.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results showed that ozonated oil could suppress inflammation in an AD murine via decreasing Th2-dominant cytokines response and increasing IL-10 expression. These suggest that ozonated oil may be a potential remedy for AD.

Stacking fault-mediated ultrastrong nanocrystalline Ti thin films

In this work, we prepared nanocrystalline (NC) Ti thin films with abundant stacking faults (SFs), which were created via partial dislocations emitted from grain boundaries and which were insensitive to grain sizes. By employing the nanoindentation test, we investigated the effects of SFs and grain sizes on the strength of NC Ti films at room temperature. The high density of SFs significantly strengthens NC Ti films, via dislocation-SF interactions associated with the reported highest Hall-Petch slope of ∼20 GPa  nm^1/2, to an ultrahigh strength of ∼4.4 GPa, approaching ∼50% of its ideal strength.

In situ preservation of the inferior parathyroid gland during central neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Postoperative hypocalcaemia due to dysfunction of the parathyroid glands is the most common complication after total thyroidectomy plus central neck dissection (CND). There is a lack of surgical techniques described to help preserve the inferior parathyroid gland in situ during CND. The objective of this study was to introduce the 'TBP layer' (layer of thymus-blood vessel-inferior parathyroid gland) concept for preserving the inferior parathyroid gland in situ during CND, and to evaluate its effectiveness.

METHODS

The study group included patients with primary papillary thyroid cancer who underwent total thyroidectomy with CND using the new surgical concept between January and December 2014. The control group included sex- and age-matched patients who underwent conventional total thyroidectomy with CND between January 2012 and December 2013. The proportion of inferior parathyroid glands preserved in situ and postoperative hypoparathyroidism rates in the two groups were compared.

RESULTS

There were 181 patients in the study group and 306 in the control group. There were no significant differences between the groups in tumour size, multifocality, extrathyroidal extension, and number of harvested and metastatic central lymph nodes. The rate of inferior parathyroid gland preservation in situ was significantly improved from 37·9 to 76·3 per cent on the left side (P < 0·001), and from 52·0 to 77·9 per cent on the right side (P < 0·001), in the study group compared with the control group. The incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism decreased significantly from 35·0 to 7·2 per cent (P < 0·001).

CONCLUSION

Applying the proposed surgical concept improved the rate of inferior parathyroid gland preservation in situ and decreased the incidence of transient postoperative hypoparathyroidism.

Identification of atypical porcine pestivirus infection in swine herds in China

Atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) have been detected in swine herds from the USA, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and most recently in Austria, suggesting a wide geographic distribution of this novel virus. Here, for the first time, we reported APPV infection in swine herds in China. Newborn piglets from two separate swine herds in Guangdong province were found showing typical congenital tremors in July and August 2016. RT-PCR, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed APPV infection occurred. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Chinese APPV strains, GD1 and GD2, formed independent branch from the USA, Germany and the Netherlands. Nucleotide identities between members of the APPV ranged between 83.1% and 83.5%, and this showed APPV is highly diverse. It is apparent that this provides the first molecular evidence of APPV infection in swine herds in China.

Thyrotropin Alters T Cell Development in the Thymus in Subclinical Hypothyroidism Mouse Model

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is highly prevalent in the general population and is associated with potential deleterious effects. Although developing T cells express thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSH-R), the changes of T cell development in thymus in SCH have not been fully clarified. SCH mouse model, which is characterized by elevated serum TSH but similar thyroid hormone levels, was used to study the role of TSH in T cell development. Thymus weight of SCH mice increased 18% compared with controls. Importantly, the frequencies of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ single-positive (SP) thymocytes increased 38% and 44%, respectively. We demonstrated that TSH protected thymocytes from apoptosis as evidenced by a significant decrease of Annexin V-positive thymocytes in SCH mice. Further analysis showed that extracellular-regulated kinases (ERK) 1/2 in thymus were activated in SCH mice. With analysis of T cell receptor excision circles (TREC), we found that TSH increased recent thymic emigrants (RTE) in spleen tissue in SCH mice. Thus, these results suggest that TSH promoted T cell development and enhanced the thymic recent output in SCH mice, possibly by suppression of apoptosis of thymocytes, indicating that modification of the ERK signalling pathways.

Successful Recovery of Acute Renal Transplant Failure in Recurrent Hepatitis C Virus-Associated Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis

Recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) in the kidney transplant may lead to continuous graft deterioration and the need for further renal replacement therapy. The novel direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) allow a highly effective and interferon-free treatment option for chronic HCV-infected patients. Data on the therapeutic safety and efficacy in HCV-infected renal transplant patients are sparse, especially for patients with severe renal impairment. We report the case of a 63-year-old female HCV-positive renal transplant patient with biopsy-proven recurrence of MPGN in the renal graft 3 years after transplant. Because of rapid loss of transplant function and consecutive need for hemodialysis, we initiated a combined anti-HCV-directed therapy regimen consisting of daclatasvir and simeprevir over 12 weeks. Viral clearance of HCV was obtained as early as 2 weeks after start of treatment. No adverse therapy-associated side effects were observed, and immunosuppressive dosing remained unchanged. Importantly, graft function fully recovered and hemodialysis was stopped 2 mo after the end of daclatasvir/simeprevir treatment. We report the first case of successful recovery of dialysis-dependent renal transplant failure after treatment of recurrent HCV-associated MPGN in a kidney transplant recipient by curing the underlying HCV infection with a combination of novel DAAs.

[Short-term outcomes of lung transplant recipients using organs from brain death donors]

Objective: To assess short-term outcomes after lung transplantation with organs procured following brain death. Methods: Between April 2015 and July 2016, all 17 recipients after lung transplantation using organs from brain death donors (DBD) at Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine were enrolled in this study. All patients were male, aging (60±7) years, including 11 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 5 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, 1 silicosis. Seventeen donors were 16 males and 1 female, with 10 traumatic brain injury, 5 cerebrovascular accident and 2 sudden cardiac death. Of 17 recipients receiving DBD lung transplant, 16 were single lung transplant. Data were collected including intubation duration of mechanical ventilation, hospital length of stay, incidence of pulmonary infection bronchus anastomosis complications, primary graft dysfunction (PGD), and acute rejection, bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) as well as mortality of 90-day after lung transplantation. Results: Median duration of intubation were 2 (2) days (M(Q_R)) in recipients after lung transplantation. The incidence of pulmonary infection and bronchus anastomosis complications were 15/17 and 5/17, respectively. Median length of stay in hospital were 56 (19) days. The ratio of readmission 1 month after discharge were 10/17. Mortality of 90-day post-transplant were 2/17. The incidence of PGD and BOS were 1/17 and 2/17, respectively. Conclusion: Recipients with DBD lung transplantation have an acceptable survival during short-term follow-up, but with higher incidences of complications related to infection post-transplantation.

Ultra-low-frequency vertical vibration isolator based on a two-stage beam structure for absolute gravimetry

To reduce seismic and environmental vibration noise, ultra-low-frequency vertical vibration isolation systems play an important role in absolute gravimetry. For this purpose, an isolator based on a two-stage beam structure is proposed and demonstrated. The isolator has a simpler and more robust structure than the present ultra-low-frequency vertical active vibration isolators. In the system, two beams are connected to a frame using flexural pivots. The upper beam is suspended from the frame with a normal hex spring and the lower beam is suspended from the upper one using a zero-length spring. The pivot of the upper beam is not vertically above the pivot of the lower beam. With this special design, the attachment points of the zero-length spring to the beams can be moved to adjust the effective stiffness. A photoelectric detector is used to detect the angle between the two beams, and a voice coil actuator attached to the upper beam is controlled by a feedback circuit to keep the angle at a fixed value. The system can achieve a natural period of 100 s by carefully moving the attachment points of the zero-length spring to the beams and tuning the feedback parameters. The system has been used as an inertial reference in the T-1 absolute gravimeter. The experiment results demonstrate that the system has significant vibration isolation performance that holds promise in applications such as absolute gravimeters.

Histone Acetylation and Plant Development

Reversible histone acetylation and deacetylation at the N-terminus of histone tails play a crucial role in regulation of gene activity. Hyperacetylation of histones relaxes chromatin structure and is associated with transcriptional activation, whereas hypoacetylation of histones induces chromatin compaction and gene repression. Histone acetylation and deacetylation are catalyzed by histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs), respectively. Emerging evidences revealed that plant HATs and HDACs play essential roles in regulation of gene expression in plant development and plant responses to environmental stresses. Furthermore, HATs and HDACs were shown to interact with various chromatin-remodeling factors and transcription factors involved in transcriptional regulation of multiple developmental processes.

Experimental investigation on dynamic characteristics and strengthening mechanism of laser-induced cavitation bubbles

The dynamic features of nanosecond laser-induced cavitation bubbles near the light alloy boundary were investigated with the high-speed photography. The shock-waves and the dynamic characteristics of the cavitation bubbles generated by the laser were detected using the hydrophone. The dynamic features and strengthening mechanism of cavitation bubbles were studied. The strengthening mechanisms of cavitation bubble were discussed when the relative distance parameter γ was within the range of 0.5-2.5. It showed that the strengthening mechanisms caused by liquid jet or shock-waves depended on γ much. The research results provided a new strengthening method based on laser-induced cavitation shotless peening (CSP).

Effects of short-term glucocorticoid administration on bone mineral density, biomechanics and microstructure in rats’ femur

The effects of short-term use of oral glucocorticoid (GC) on the skeleton are not well defined. To address this gap, the influences of 7 days, 21 days of GC administration on femurs of intact rats were investigated. Forty 4-month-old female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group (Cont) and prednisone-treated group (Pre) and administered either distilled water or prednisone acetate at doses of 3.5 mg/kg/day for 0, 7 and 21 days, respectively. All the femurs were harvested for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, biomechanical testing and micro computed tomography scan. The whole body weight, femur bone mineral density (BMD), all three-point bending test parameters, microstructural parameters increased or improved significantly in Cont at day 21 when compared to day 0. The whole body weight, distal femur BMD, Young’s modulus, bending stiffness, density of tissue volume and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) decreased, while structure model index and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) increased significantly in Pre at day 21 when compared to age-matched control but had no significant differences between day 7 and day 21. Our data demonstrate that 7-day use of prednisone does not influence on rats’ femur, and 21-day use of prednisone slows in rate of whole body weight gain, decreases femur metaphysis BMD and bone stiffness which mainly due to the deteriorated bone microstructure.

Neurosensory effects of chronic human exposure to arsenic associated with body burden and environmental measures

Exposure to arsenic in drinking water is known to produce a variety of health problems, including peripheral neuropathy. Auditory, visual and somatosensory impairment have been reported in Mongolian farmers living in the Yellow River Valley, where drinking water is contaminated by arsenic. In the present study, sensory tests, including pinprick and vibration thresholds, were administered to 320 residents with well-water arsenic levels, ranging from non-detectable to 690 μg/L. Vibration thresholds in the second and fifth fingers of both hands were measured using a vibrothesiometer. Drinking water, urine and toenail samples were obtained to assess arsenic exposure and body burden. Regression analyses indicated significant associations of pinprick scores and vibration thresholds with all arsenic measures. Vibration thresholds were more strongly associated with urinary than water or nail arsenic measures, but odds ratios for decreased pinprick sensitivity were highest for the water arsenic measure. Results of the current study indicate neurosensory effects of arsenic exposure at concentrations well below the 1000 μg/L drinking water level specified by NRC, and suggest that non-carcinogenic end-points, such as vibration thresholds, are useful in the risk assessment of exposure to arsenic in drinking water.

Pressure coefficients for direct optical transitions in MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2 crystals and semiconductor to metal transitions

The electronic band structure of MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2, crystals has been studied at various hydrostatic pressures experimentally by photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy and theoretically within the density functional theory (DFT). In the PR spectra direct optical transitions (A and B) have been clearly observed and pressure coefficients have been determined for these transitions to be: αA = 2.0 ± 0.1 and αB = 3.6 ± 0.1 meV/kbar for MoS2, αA = 2.3 ± 0.1 and αB = 4.0 ± 0.1 meV/kbar for MoSe2, αA = 2.6 ± 0.1 and αB = 4.1 ± 0.1 meV/kbar for WS2, αA = 3.4 ± 0.1 and αB = 5.0 ± 0.5 meV/kbar for WSe2. It has been found that these coefficients are in an excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. In addition, a comparative study of different computational DFT approaches has been performed and analyzed. For indirect gap the pressure coefficient have been determined theoretically to be -7.9, -5.51, -6.11, and -3.79, meV/kbar for MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2, respectively. The negative values of this coefficients imply a narrowing of the fundamental band gap with the increase in hydrostatic pressure and a semiconductor to metal transition for MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, and WSe2, crystals at around 140, 180, 190, and 240 kbar, respectively.

Male pattern baldness and risk of colorectal neoplasia

Background:

Male pattern baldness is positively associated with androgens as well as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and insulin, all of which are implicated in pathogenesis of colorectal neoplasia.

Methods:

From 1992 through 2010, we prospectively followed participants in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Hair pattern at age 45 years was assessed at baseline with five image categories (no baldness, frontal-only baldness, frontal-plus-mild-vertex baldness, frontal-plus-moderate-vertex baldness, and frontal-plus-severe-vertex baldness). Cancer analysis included 32 782 men and used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Restricted to men who underwent at least one endoscopy over the study period, adenoma analysis included 29 770 men and used logistic regressions for clustered data to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs.

Results:

Over the mean follow-up of 15.6 years, 710 cases of colorectal cancer (478 for colon, 152 for rectum, and 80 unknown site) developed. Significantly increased risks associated with frontal-only baldness and frontal-plus-mild-vertex baldness relative to no baldness were observed for colon cancer with respective HR being 1.29 (95% CI, 1.03–1.62) and 1.31 (95% CI, 1.01–1.70). Over the 19-year study period, 3526 cases of colorectal adenoma were detected. Evidence for an increased risk of colorectal adenoma relative to no baldness was significant with frontal-only baldness (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.06–1.26) and borderline insignificant with frontal-plus-severe-vertex baldness (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.98–1.33).

Conclusions:

Subtypes of male pattern baldness at age 45 years were positively associated with colorectal neoplasia. Future studies are warranted to confirm our results and to determine the predictive value of male pattern baldness to identify those at high risk for colorectal neoplasia.

Brief Questionnaire Derived from PANSS Using a General Probability Model to Assess and Monitor the Clinical Features of Schizophrenia

AIM

Patients with schizophrenia require continuous treatment much longer than the duration of their hospitalization, which makes their family members essential in their medical care. However, the evaluation of the disease state could only be done by professionals. This prompted us to seek potent indicators of disease states that are understandable and easy to use for the patients' family.

METHOD

Specific items were firstly extracted from the total PANSS scale. Then 3 096 PANSS scores were analyzed using a nonlinear mixed-effects model (NONMEM). A questionnaire was subsequently developed for family members to assess and monitor the overall severity of schizophrenia. Finally this questionnaire was validated in 33 patients.

RESULTS

2 items (P1 and N4) were extracted from the 8 effective remission items according to the correlation coefficients between the total PANSS score and different combinations of items. P1N4 was defined as the sum of these 2 items. A model was then developed to describe the probability of PANSS≥60, with P1N4 as indicators. The results indicated that P1N4 could make a good predictor of the overall probability of PANSS≥60, which was independent of treatment. A brief questionnaire with 7 questions was developed based on the results. External validation results indicated the questionnaire's suitability for a good assessment.

CONCLUSION

Questionnaire developed based on P1 and N4 may facilitate the patients' family members to better understand the disease state and help to prevent relapse.

Expression of APPL1 is correlated with clinicopathologic characteristics and poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Although appl1 is overexpressed in many cancers, its status in gastric cancer (gc) is not known. In the present study, we used relevant pathologic and clinical data to investigate appl1 expression in patients with gc.

METHODS

In 47 gc and 27 non-gc surgical specimens, immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of appl1, and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) was used to detect messenger rna (mrna). A scatterplot visualized the relationship between survival time and mrna expression in gc patients. The log-rank test and other survival statistics were used to determine the association of appl1 expression with the pathologic features of the cancer and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

In gc, appl1 was expressed in 28 of 47 specimens (59.6%), and in non-gc, it was expressed in 7 of 23 specimens (30.4%, p < 0.05). The expression of mrna in gc was 0.82 [95% confidence interval (ci): 0.78 to 0.86], and in non-gc, it was 0.73 (95% ci: 0.69 to 0.77; p < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that, in gc, appl1 expression was correlated with depth of infiltration (p = 0.005), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.017), and TNM stage (p = 0.022), but not with pathologic type (p = 0.41). Testing by rt-pcr demonstrated that, in gc, appl1 mrna expression was correlated with depth of infiltration (p = 0.042), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.031), and TNM stage (p = 0.04), but again, not with pathologic type (p = 0.98). The correlation coefficient between survival time and mrna expression was -0.83 (p < 0.01). Overexpression of appl1 protein (hazard ratio: 3.88; 95% ci: 1.07 to 14.09) and mrna (hazard ratio: 4.23; 95% ci: 3.09 to 15.11) was a risk factor for death in patients with gc.

CONCLUSIONS

Expression of appl1 is increased in gc. Overexpression is prognostic for a lethal outcome.

Abstract P4-04-11: Preferential expression of the chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8) on regulatory T cells (Treg) infiltrating human breast cancers represents a novel immunotherapeutic target

Treg cells are identified by the expression of the transcription factor FoxP3 and preserve immune homeostasis by the establishment and maintenance of peripheral tolerance. This suppressive function however, limits anti-tumor immune responses and represents a critical obstacle to immunotherapy. Safely targeting Treg cells will require selective elimination of tumor infiltrating Treg cells, as systemic depletion will lead to immune related adverse events. We hypothesize that differential gene expression analysis of Treg cells isolated from human breast tumors and peripheral blood will identify a tumor specific means to target Treg cells for the immunotherapy of breast cancer.

Methods: Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes were isolated from fresh operative specimens of patients undergoing surgery for primary invasive breast carcinoma. Lymphocytes were also isolated from normal breast tissue and peripheral blood buffy coat. T cell subsets including Treg cells were isolated by fluorescent activated cell sorting and analyzed by RNAseq. Mixed bone marrow chimeric mice were generated by reconstituting irradiated immunodeficient mice with a mixture of CCR8-/- + FoxP3-/- or CCR8+/+ + FoxP3-/- bone marrow, thus creating mice with Treg cells lacking CCR8 and controls.

Results: We found that Treg cells are more prevalent in breast tumors as opposed to normal breast tissue regardless of the biologic subtype of breast cancer (p&lt;0.05). Gene expression profiling of Treg cells and CD4 T cells isolated from tumor or blood revealed a distinct tumor Treg cell gene signature. This signature was enriched for cytokine binding and chemokine receptor GO categories (FDR&lt;0.005). Specifically, we identified CCR8 to be differentially and robustly expressed on tumor infiltrating Treg cells. This was validated by flow cytometry on over 50 primary breast cancers where the mean florescence intensity of CCR8 on Treg cells was at least twice that observed on conventional CD4 T cells (p&lt;0.05). CCR8 expression on Treg cells also significantly correlated with higher-grade cancers (p&lt;0.05). Using a data set generated by the Cancer Genome Atlas, we found that a high CCR8/FOXP3 gene expression ratio is strongly associated with worse disease free and overall survival of breast cancer (p&lt;0.001) patients while FOXP3 gene expression level alone does not predict disease outcome. To investigate the role of CCR8 expression on Treg cells in a preclinical murine model of mammary carcinogenesis, we implanted syngeneic polyoma middle-T antigen-driven breast cancer cells in the mammary fat pads of mixed bone marrow chimeric mice in which Treg cells lack CCR8 expression. CCR8 deficiency in Treg cells significantly decreased primary tumor progression and distant metastases without any overt immunopathology (p&lt;0.05).

Conclusions: Treg cells infiltrate human breast cancers and suppress anti-tumor immune responses. Our results demonstrate that CCR8 is selectively expressed by human breast cancer infiltrating Treg cells. Targeting CCR8 represents a promising immunotherapeutic approach for the treatment of patients with breast cancer. Depleting CCR8 antibodies are currently in development for additional preclinical and human studies.

Citation Format: Plitas G, Konopacki C, Wu K, Paula B, Morrow M, Rudensky A. Preferential expression of the chemokine receptor 8 (CCR8) on regulatory T cells (Treg) infiltrating human breast cancers represents a novel immunotherapeutic target. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-04-11.

Effects of calcitriol on experimental spinal cord injury in rats

STUDY DESIGN

Experimental, controlled, animal study.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effects of calcitriol on oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy and locomotor recovery in rats after spinal cord injury (SCI).

SETTING

China.

METHODS

Ninety female rats were randomly divided into three groups. Laminectomy only was performed in the control group. The SCI group received laminectomy as well as spinal cord compression injury. In the calcitriol group, SCI rats received an intraperitoneal injection of calcitriol (2 μg kg(-1)day(-1)). Oxidative stress was assessed by the tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the contents of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The extent of apoptosis was assessed by immunohistochemistry for C-caspase3, TUNEL staining and western blotting for C-caspase3, Bax and Bcl2. Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine autophagosomes in the injured spinal cord of calcitriol-treated rats. Autophagy was detected by western blotting for LC3-II, Beclin1 and p62. Histological changes were assessed by haematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining. Functional recovery was reflected by the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotion rating scale and the inclined plane test.

RESULTS

With calcitriol treatment, oxidative stress was decreased, SOD activity and GSH content were increased and MDA content was decreased. Moreover, apoptosis was inhibited in the SCI plus calcitriol group. However, a higher level of autophagy was detected in the lesions of the calcitriol group compared with the SCI group. Histological damage and neuron loss after SCI were reduced in calcitriol-treated rats, and functional recovery was significantly promoted in the calcitriol group compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Calcitriol promotes locomotor recovery after SCI by reducing oxidative stress and inhibiting apoptosis, as well as promoting autophagy.

High salt exacerbates programmed hypertension in maternal fructose-fed male offspring

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Consumption of food and drinks containing high fructose (HF), which is associated with hypertension, is increasing steeply. Moreover, increased salt intake significantly increases hypertension risk. We examined whether maternal HF and postnatal high salt (HS) intake had synergistic effects on blood pressure (BP) elevation in adult offspring and determined the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats received regular chow or chow supplemented with 60% fructose during the entire pregnancy and lactation periods. Half of the male offspring received 1% NaCl in drinking water from weaning to 3 months of age. Male offspring were assigned to 4 groups (control, HF, HS, and HF + HS) and were sacrificed at 12 weeks of age. Offspring in HF and HS groups developed hypertension, indicating that HF and HS synergistically increased BP. Postnatal HS intake increased Ace expression and decreased Agtr1b and Mas1 expression in the kidneys. Renal mRNA levels of Ace and Agtr1a were significantly higher in HF + HS group than in control group. Renal levels of Na-K-2Cl cotransporter, type 3 sodium hydrogen exchanger, and Na(+)/Cl(-) cotransporter were higher in HS and HF + HS groups than in control group.

CONCLUSION

Postnatal HS intake exacerbated prenatal HF-induced programmed hypertension. HF and HS induced programmed hypertension by differentially inducing renin-angiotensin system and sodium transporters in the kidneys. Better understanding of the effect of the relationship between HF and HS on hypertension development will help prevent hypertension in mothers and children exposed to HF and HS.

SATB1 is a potential therapeutic target in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary malignant tumor of the liver with a poor prognosis. Upregulation of special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1 (SATB1) promotes tumor progression. However, little is known about the role of SATB1 in ICC tumorigenesis.

METHODS

We firstly investigated the expression of SATB1 in 88 cases of ICC by immunohistochemistry (IHC), QRT-PCR, and western blot. Meanwhile, we constructed stably knockdown (shRNA) of SATB1 in ICC cell lines to evaluate the effects of SATB1 on the ability of cell proliferation and invasion by MTT and transwell invasion assay.

RESULTS

Our result showed that SATB1 was overexpressed in ICC tissues samples. Knockdown of SATB1 could inhibit ICC cell proliferation, and suppress ICC cell invasion of ICC cell lines. In addition, the depletion of SATB1 expression suppressed the MYC levels in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results highlight the significance of SATB1 in ICC and suggest that SATB1 could be a promising therapy target and a potential biomarker for prognosis in ICC patients.

Study on the hydrocyclonic separation of waste plastics with different density

The recycling of waste plastics is an important aspect in the recycling of solid waste. Based on the difference in density, PET and PVC particles was separated with help of the centrifugal sedimentation and shearing dispersion in a hydrocyclone. Through tests and CFD simulation, the relationship between the separating efficiency and pressure drop and split ratio has been investigated. Test results show that the Newton efficiency can reach above 80%, i.e. the purity of PVC could reach 93.2% while the purity of PET could reach 94.5%.

CHARGE TRANSFER. Efficient hot-electron transfer by a plasmon-induced interfacial charge-transfer transition

Plasmon-induced hot-electron transfer from metal nanostructures is a potential new paradigm for solar energy conversion; however, the reported efficiencies of devices based on this concept are often low because of the loss of hot electrons via ultrafast electron-electron scattering. We propose a pathway, called the plasmon-induced interfacial charge-transfer transition (PICTT), that enables the decay of a plasmon by directly exciting an electron from the metal to a strongly coupled acceptor. We demonstrated this concept in cadmium selenide nanorods with gold tips, in which the gold plasmon was strongly damped by cadmium selenide through interfacial electron transfer. The quantum efficiency of the PICTT process was high (>24%), independent of excitation photon energy over a ~1-electron volt range, and dependent on the excitation polarization.

Rapamycin inhibits the proliferation of SW1990 pancreatic cancer cell

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of rapamycin on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, we designed a serial of experiments in human pancreatic cancer cell line SW1990.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

SW1990 cells were treated with different concentrations of rapamycin. Cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8 assay and cell colony formation. Cell cycle and apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. The existence of mTOR signaling pathway was demonstrated by immunocytochemistry. Western-blot and real time-PCR were used to test whether mTOR-signaling pathway was inhibited with rapamycin treatment.

RESULTS

Our results showed that rapamycin inhibited the cell colony formation and proliferation (p < 0.05). Rapamycin induced G1 cell cycle arrest (p < 0.05) but not cell apoptosis (p > 0.05). p-mTOR, p-p70S6K and p-4E-BP1 were expressed in the cytoplasm of SW1990 cells and those proteins were significantly reduced with rapamycin (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Rapamycin inhibits SW1990 pancreatic cancer cell proliferation through inhibiting the activation of mTOR pathway.