1
|
Evaluation of cataract formation in fish exposed to environmental radiation at Chernobyl and Fukushima. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 902:165957. [PMID: 37543314 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies apparently finding deleterious effects of radiation exposure on cataract formation in birds and voles living near Chernobyl represent a major challenge to current radiation protection regulations. This study conducted an integrated assessment of radiation exposure on cataractogenesis using the most advanced technologies available to assess the cataract status of lenses extracted from fish caught at both Chernobyl in Ukraine and Fukushima in Japan. It was hypothesised that these novel data would reveal positive correlations between radiation dose and early indicators of cataract formation. The structure, function and optical properties of lenses were analysed from atomic to millimetre length scales. We measured the short-range order of the lens crystallin proteins using Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) at both the SPring-8 and DIAMOND synchrotrons, the profile of the graded refractive index generated by these proteins, the epithelial cell density and organisation and finally the focal length of each lens. The results showed no evidence of a difference between the focal length, the epithelial cell densities, the refractive indices, the interference functions and the short-range order of crystallin proteins (X-ray diffraction patterns) in lens from fish exposed to different radiation doses. It could be argued that animals in the natural environment which developed cataract would be more likely, for example, to suffer predation leading to survivor bias. But the cross-length scale study presented here, by evaluating small scale molecular and cellular changes in the lens (pre-cataract formation) significantly mitigates against this issue.
Collapse
|
2
|
I22: SAXS/WAXS beamline at Diamond Light Source - an overview of 10 years operation. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2021; 28:939-947. [PMID: 33950002 PMCID: PMC8127364 DOI: 10.1107/s1600577521002113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Beamline I22 at Diamond Light Source is dedicated to the study of soft-matter systems from both biological and materials science. The beamline can operate in the range 3.7 keV to 22 keV for transmission SAXS and 14 keV to 20 keV for microfocus SAXS with beam sizes of 240 µm × 60 µm [full width half-maximum (FWHM) horizontal (H) × vertical (V)] at the sample for the main beamline, and approximately 10 µm × 10 µm for the dedicated microfocusing platform. There is a versatile sample platform for accommodating a range of facilities and user-developed sample environments. The high brilliance of the insertion device source on I22 allows structural investigation of materials under extreme environments (for example, fluid flow at high pressures and temperatures). I22 provides reliable access to millisecond data acquisition timescales, essential to understanding kinetic processes such as protein folding or structural evolution in polymers and colloids.
Collapse
|
3
|
Extending synchrotron SAXS instrument ranges through addition of a portable, inexpensive USAXS module with vertical rotation axes. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2021; 28:824-833. [PMID: 33949990 PMCID: PMC8127376 DOI: 10.1107/s1600577521003313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Ultra-SAXS can enhance the capabilities of existing synchrotron SAXS/WAXS beamlines. A compact ultra-SAXS module has been developed, which extends the measurable q-range with 0.0015 ≤ q (nm-1) ≤ 0.2, allowing structural dimensions in the range 30 ≤ D (nm) ≤ 4000 to be probed in addition to the range covered by a high-end SAXS/WAXS instrument. By shifting the module components in and out on their respective motor stages, SAXS/WAXS measurements can be easily and rapidly interleaved with USAXS measurements. The use of vertical crystal rotation axes (horizontal diffraction) greatly simplifies the construction, at minimal cost to efficiency. In this paper, the design considerations, realization and synchrotron findings are presented. Measurements of silica spheres, an alumina membrane, and a porous carbon catalyst are provided as application examples.
Collapse
|
4
|
|
5
|
Programming Gels Over a Wide pH Range Using Multicomponent Systems. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:9973-9977. [PMID: 33605524 PMCID: PMC8252051 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202101247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Multicomponent hydrogels offer a tremendous opportunity for preparing useful and exciting materials that cannot be accessed using a single component. Here, we describe an unusual multi‐component low‐molecular weight gelling system that exhibits pH‐responsive behavior involving cooperative hydrogen bonding between the components, allowing it to maintain a gel phase across a wide pH range. Unlike traditional acid‐triggered gels, our system undergoes a change in the underlying molecular packing and maintains the β‐sheet structure both at acidic and basic pH. We further establish that autonomous programming between these two gel states is possible by an enzymatic reaction which allows us to prepare gels with improved mechanical properties.
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
![]()
A detailed understanding
of the local dynamics in ionic liquids
remains an important aspect in the design of new ionic liquids as
advanced functional fluids. Here, we use small-angle X-ray scattering
and quasi-elastic neutron spectroscopy to investigate the local structure
and dynamics in a model ionic liquid as a function of temperature
and pressure, with a particular focus on state points (P,T) where the macroscopic dynamics, i.e., conductivity,
is the same. Our results suggest that the initial step of ion transport
is a confined diffusion process, on the nanosecond timescale, where
the motion is restricted by a cage of nearest neighbors. This process
is invariant considering timescale, geometry, and the participation
ratio, at state points of constant conductivity, i.e., state points
of isoconductivity. The connection to the nearest-neighbor structure
is underlined by the invariance of the peak in the structure factor
corresponding to nearest-neighbor correlations. At shorter timescales,
picoseconds, two localized relaxation processes of the cation can
be observed, which are not directly linked to ion transport. However,
these processes also show invariance at isoconductivity. This points
to that the overall energy landscape in ionic liquids responds in
the same way to density changes and is mainly governed by the nearest-neighbor
interactions.
Collapse
|
7
|
In situ observation of nanolite growth in volcanic melt: A driving force for explosive eruptions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/39/eabb0413. [PMID: 32967825 PMCID: PMC7531885 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb0413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Although gas exsolution is a major driving force behind explosive volcanic eruptions, viscosity is critical in controlling the escape of bubbles and switching between explosive and effusive behavior. Temperature and composition control melt viscosity, but crystallization above a critical volume (>30 volume %) can lock up the magma, triggering an explosion. Here, we present an alternative to this well-established paradigm by showing how an unexpectedly small volume of nano-sized crystals can cause a disproportionate increase in magma viscosity. Our in situ observations on a basaltic melt, rheological measurements in an analog system, and modeling demonstrate how just a few volume % of nanolites results in a marked increase in viscosity above the critical value needed for explosive fragmentation, even for a low-viscosity melt. Images of nanolites from low-viscosity explosive eruptions and an experimentally produced basaltic pumice show syn-eruptive growth, possibly nucleating a high bubble number density.
Collapse
|
8
|
Pluronic F127 thermosensitive injectable smart hydrogels for controlled drug delivery system development. J Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 565:119-130. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2019.12.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
|
9
|
Phase I/II, open-label, multiple ascending dose trial of AGEN2034, an anti–PD-1 monoclonal antibody, in advanced solid malignancies: Results of dose escalation in advanced cancer and expansion cohorts in subjects with relapsed/refractory cervical cancer. Ann Oncol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdy288.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
|
10
|
Phase I, open-label ascending dose trial of anti–CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody AGEN1884 in advanced solid malignancies, with expansion to patients refractory to recent anti–PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Ann Oncol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdy288.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
11
|
Phase I/II study of CTLA-4 inhibitor AGEN1884 + PD-1 Inhibitor AGEN2034 in patients with advanced/refractory solid tumors, with expansion into 2L cervical cancer and solid tumors. Ann Oncol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdy288.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
|
12
|
Phase I open-label, ascending dose trial of AGEN1884, an anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody, in advanced solid malignancies: Dose selection for combination with PD-1 blockade. J Clin Oncol 2018. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2018.36.15_suppl.3075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
|
13
|
Phase 1/2 open-label, multiple ascending dose trial of AGEN2034, an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, in advanced solid malignancies: Results of dose escalation. J Clin Oncol 2018. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2018.36.15_suppl.3086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
|
14
|
The structural response of the cornea to changes in stromal hydration. J R Soc Interface 2018; 14:rsif.2017.0062. [PMID: 28592658 PMCID: PMC5493790 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The primary aim of this study was to quantify the relationship between corneal structure and hydration in humans and pigs. X-ray scattering data were collected from human and porcine corneas equilibrated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to varying levels of hydration, to obtain measurements of collagen fibril diameter, interfibrillar spacing (IFS) and intermolecular spacing. Both species showed a strong positive linear correlation between hydration and IFS2 and a nonlinear, bi-phasic relationship between hydration and fibril diameter, whereby fibril diameter increased up to approximately physiological hydration, H = 3.0, with little change thereafter. Above H = 3.0, porcine corneas exhibited a larger fibril diameter than human corneas (p < 0.001). Intermolecular spacing also varied with hydration in a bi-phasic manner but reached a maximum value at a lower hydration (H = 1.5) than fibril diameter. Human corneas displayed a higher intermolecular spacing than porcine corneas at all hydrations (p < 0.0001). Human and porcine corneas required a similar PEG concentration to reach physiological hydration, suggesting that the total fixed charge that gives rise to the swelling pressure is the same. The difference in their structural responses to hydration can be explained by variations in molecular cross-linking and intra/interfibrillar water partitioning.
Collapse
|
15
|
Charging Poly(methyl Methacrylate) Latexes in Nonpolar Solvents: Effect of Particle Concentration. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2017; 33:13543-13553. [PMID: 29064706 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b02257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The electrophoresis of a well-established model system of charged colloids in nonpolar solvents has been studied as a function of particle volume fraction at constant surfactant concentration. Dispersions of poly(12-hydroxystearic acid)-stabilized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) latexes in dodecane were prepared with added Aerosol OT surfactant as the charging agent. The electrophoretic mobility (μ) of the PMMA latexes is found to decrease with particle concentration. The particles are charged by a small molecule charging agent (AOT) at finite concentration, and this makes the origin of this decrease in μ unclear. There are two suggested explanations. The decrease could either be due to the reservoir of available surfactant being exhausted at high particle concentrations or the interactions between the charged particles at high particle number concentrations. Contrast-variation small-angle neutron scattering measurements of PMMA latexes and deuterated AOT-d34 surfactant in latex core contrast-matched solvent were used to study the former, and electrokinetic modeling was used to study the latter. As the same amount of AOT-d34 is found to be incorporated with the latexes at all volume fractions, the solvodynamic and electrical interactions between particles are determined to be the explanation for the decrease in mobility. These measurements show that, for small latexes, there are interactions between the charged particles at all accessible particle volume fractions and that it is necessary to account for this to accurately determine the electrokinetic ζ potential.
Collapse
|
16
|
Phase 1 open-label, multiple ascending dose trial of AGEN1884, an anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody, in advanced solid malignancies. J Clin Oncol 2017. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2017.35.15_suppl.3075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
3075 Background: AGEN1884 is a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting the co-inhibitory protein cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4). CTLA-4 blockade has been shown to augment T cell activation and proliferation, resulting in immune infiltration of the tumor and subsequent regression. Objectives: Assess the safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) characteristics of AGEN1884 in patients (pts) with advanced and refractory malignancies using a “3+3” trial design. Methods: Eleven pts have been enrolled and treated to date. AGEN1884 was administered intravenously q3w for 4 doses and then q12w. Three (0.1, 0.3 and 1 mg/kg) of six (3, 6 and 10 mg/kg) planned dose levels have been completed. Results: Five pts were accrued at 0.1 mg/kg dose level (2 were not DLT evaluable) and three pts each at doses of 0.3 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg. Median age was 56 years (range 26–70), ECOG 0–2, with a median of 4 (range 1–8) prior therapies. No DLT events have been observed thus far. Data from 5 pts were available for PK evaluation. Half-life of AGEN1884 post first dose was 8.8 and 9.6 days for 0.3 mg/kg and 0.1 mg/kg dose levels, respectively, as measured by ELISA. As of Jan 31, 2017, pts across cohorts were followed for a median of 6 weeks (range 0-28). Six pts (54.5%) have come off study due to disease progression, while 5 (45.5 %) remain on study. One confirmed partial response (80% reduction) by RECIST criteria was seen at 0.1 mg/kg in a patient with angiosarcoma. Conclusions: AGEN1884 is safe at 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg dose levels. Dose escalation is ongoing and updated safety and PK data will be presented. Clinical trial information: NCT02694822.
Collapse
|
17
|
The internal structure of poly(methyl methacrylate) latexes in nonpolar solvents. J Colloid Interface Sci 2016; 479:234-243. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2016.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Revised: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
18
|
Structure evolution in poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) – Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite films during in-situ uniaxial deformation. POLYMER 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2016.03.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
|
19
|
The Force Dynamics of Interacting Cells. Biophys J 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.11.2733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
|
20
|
Hydrophobic nanoparticles promote lamellar to inverted hexagonal transition in phospholipid mesophases. SOFT MATTER 2015; 11:8789-8800. [PMID: 26391613 DOI: 10.1039/c5sm01705j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This study focuses on how the mesophase transition behaviour of the phospholipid dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) is altered by the presence of 10 nm hydrophobic and 14 nm hydrophilic silica nanoparticles (NPs) at different concentrations. The lamellar to inverted hexagonal phase transition (Lα-HII) of phospholipids is energetically analogous to the membrane fusion process, therefore understanding the Lα-HII transition with nanoparticulate additives is relevant to how membrane fusion may be affected by these additives, in this case the silica NPs. The overriding observation is that the HII/Lα boundaries in the DOPE p-T phase diagram were shifted by the presence of NPs: the hydrophobic NPs enlarged the HII phase region and thus encouraged the inverted hexagonal (HII) phase to occur at lower temperatures, whilst hydrophilic NPs appeared to stabilise the Lα phase region. This effect was also NP-concentration dependent, with a more pronounced effect for higher concentration of the hydrophobic NPs, but the trend was less clear cut for the hydrophilic NPs. There was no evidence that the NPs were intercalated into the mesophases, and as such it was likely that they might have undergone microphase separation and resided at the mesophase domain boundaries. Whilst the loci and exact roles of the NPs invite further investigation, we tentatively discuss these results in terms of both the surface chemistry of the NPs and the effect of their curvature on the elastic bending energy considerations during the mesophase transition.
Collapse
|
21
|
Biochemical and mechanical extracellular matrix properties dictate mammary epithelial cell motility and assembly. Biotechnol J 2011; 7:397-408. [PMID: 22121055 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201100188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2011] [Revised: 10/07/2011] [Accepted: 11/18/2011] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Biochemical and mechanical cues of the extracellular matrix have been shown to play important roles in cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. We have experimentally tested the combined influence of these cues to better understand cell motility, force generation, cell-cell interaction, and assembly in an in vitro breast cancer model. MCF-10A non-tumorigenic mammary epithelial cells were observed on surfaces with varying fibronectin ligand concentration and polyacrylamide gel rigidity. Our data show that cell velocity is biphasic in both matrix rigidity and adhesiveness. The maximum cell migration velocity occurs only at specific combination of substrate stiffness and ligand density. We found cell-cell interactions reduce migration velocity. However, the traction forces cells exert onto the substrate increase linearly with both cues, with cells in pairs exerting higher maximum tractions observed over single cells. A relationship between force and motility shows a maximum in single cell velocity not observed in cell pairs. Cell-cell adhesion becomes strongly favored on softer gels with elasticity ≤ 1250 Pascals (Pa), implying the existence of a compliance threshold that promotes cell-cell over cell-matrix adhesion. Finally on gels with stiffness similar to pre-malignant breast tissue, 400 Pa, cells undergo multicellular assembly and division into 3D spherical aggregates on a 2D surface.
Collapse
|
22
|
High-Pressure Synthesis of Crystalline Carbon Nitride Imide, C2N2(NH). Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2007; 46:1476-80. [PMID: 17221897 DOI: 10.1002/anie.200603851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
|
23
|
|
24
|
Single Crystals of a new Carbon Nitride Phase. Z Anorg Allg Chem 2006. [DOI: 10.1002/zaac.200670101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
|
25
|
Crystal structure and high-pressure properties of γ-Mo2N determined by neutron powder diffraction and X-ray diffraction. J SOLID STATE CHEM 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2006.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
26
|
Amorphous and nanocrystalline titanium nitride and carbonitride materials obtained by solution phase ammonolysis of Ti(NMe2)4. J SOLID STATE CHEM 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2006.01.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
|
27
|
Chemical reactions in iron-oxygen system at high oxygen fugacity under high pressure. Acta Crystallogr A 2002. [DOI: 10.1107/s0108767302092176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
|