In vitro modeling of tumor interclonal interactions using breast cancer cell lines

In the setting of limited resources, natural selection begins to occur between tumor clones. An experimental model of in vitro tumor heterogeneity would allow us to evaluate various types of biological interactions arising from the joint cultivation of phenotypically different tumor clones. Aim: To study the peculiarities of ecological relationships of breast cancer (BC) cell lines MCF-7, BT-474 and MDA-MD-231 under co-culturing conditions. Materials and Methods: Three BC cell lines: luminal A — MCF-7, luminal B — BT-474 and triple-negative — MDA-MD-231 were co-cultured pairwise. Immunocytochemistry was used to differentiate the cell lines in the wells. The effect of the cell-free culture medium on the growth rate of the alternate cell line in the pair was also evaluated. Results: It was shown that when BT-474 cells were co-cultured with MCF-7 and BT-474 cells were co-cultured with MDA-MD-231, two types of ecological interactions could be observed: commensalism and amensalism, respectively. While the cells do not interact with each other in contact, the supernatants of single cultures of MCF-7 and MDAMD-231 exert the same effect on BT-474 as co-cultivation of BT-474 with these cells. Conclusions: The paracrine mechanism of intercellular interaction between different human BC cell lines has been demonstrated. The models used in population ecology can be applicable to identify the types of interaction between cell lines

Improving Heat Transfer Coefficient During Double-sided Meat Frying

Improving the energy efficiency of technological processes and equipment for heat treatment of meat and meat products is a relevant scientific task. A prerequisite for the development of new energy and resource-saving equipment for frying meat is the study of the mechanism of heat transfer in the surface layers of the product.The aim of the work was to determine the effect of the value of the logarithmic mean temperature difference (LMTD) on the value of the heat transfer coefficient k during ouble-sided frying of organic meat products by the physical and electrophysical methods.The study has proved that the LMTD between the frying surface temperature and the temperature of liquid on the capillary meniscus surface depend on the frying surface temperature. An increase in the frying surface temperature from 393 K to 423 K reduces the LMTD between the frying surface temperature and the temperature of liquid on the meniscus surface from 10 K to 6 K. The specified method of calculating the coefficient of heat transfer through vapor layers takes into account the change in the contact area of the meniscus liquid with the frying surface during evaporation and the area of the meniscus surface in the vapor condensation during double-sided frying of pork under pressure. The study has proved the dependence of the heat transfer coefficient on the LMTD between the temperature of the frying surface and the temperature of liquid on the meniscus surface. The calculated actual coefficient of heat transfer from the frying surface to the product is k423=3800 W/(m2 K) for the LMTD =10 K and k393=3800 W/(m2 K) at K.The theoretically substantiated duration of double-sided frying of organic meat under compression is completely identical to the real one

Functional state of the Hsp27 chaperone as a molecular marker of an unfavorable course of larynx cancer

BACKGROUND: The small heat shock protein 27 kDA (Hsp27) acts as an ATP-independent chaperone in protein folding, but is also implicated in architecture of the cytoskeleton, cell migration, metabolism, cell survival, growth/differentiation, mRNA stabilization, and tumor progression. OBJECTIVE: To study the intracellular localization of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of Hsp27 in squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx (SCCL) and to evaluate their relationship with regional lymphatic metastasis and overall five-year survival. METHODS: Tumor biopsies of larynx tissue were collected from 50 patients who were between the ages of 30 to 80 years and had a confirmed diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the intracellular localization of the phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of Hsp27. RESULTS: The study revealed that the Hsp27 chaperone was expressed in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus of tumor cells in SCCL. The biopsies of patients with lymph node metastases showed significantly higher expression of the phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of Hsp27 in the nucleus compared to those of patients without lymph node metastases. At the same time, the cytoplasmic expression of Hsp27 in these patients did not differ statistically. Analysis of the overall five-year survival rates showed that negative Hsp27 expression in the nucleus of tumor cells is associated with the survival rate of patients with SCCL. CONCLUSION: The nuclear expression of phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of Hsp27 is a molecular marker of unfavorable squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx associated with lymphogenous metastasis and decreased total five-year survival

Functional state of the Hsp27 chaperone as a molecular marker of an unfavorable course of larynx cancer

BACKGROUND: The small heat shock protein 27 kDA (Hsp27) acts as an ATP-independent chaperone in protein folding, but is also implicated in architecture of the cytoskeleton, cell migration, metabolism, cell survival, growth/differentiation, mRNA stabilization, and tumor progression. OBJECTIVE: To study the intracellular localization of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of Hsp27 in squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx (SCCL) and to evaluate their relationship with regional lymphatic metastasis and overall five-year survival. METHODS: Tumor biopsies of larynx tissue were collected from 50 patients who were between the ages of 30 to 80 years and had a confirmed diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the intracellular localization of the phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of Hsp27. RESULTS: The study revealed that the Hsp27 chaperone was expressed in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus of tumor cells in SCCL. The biopsies of patients with lymph node metastases showed significantly higher expression of the phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of Hsp27 in the nucleus compared to those of patients without lymph node metastases. At the same time, the cytoplasmic expression of Hsp27 in these patients did not differ statistically. Analysis of the overall five-year survival rates showed that negative Hsp27 expression in the nucleus of tumor cells is associated with the survival rate of patients with SCCL. CONCLUSION: The nuclear expression of phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of Hsp27 is a molecular marker of unfavorable squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx associated with lymphogenous metastasis and decreased total five-year survival

EXPLANATION: Exoplanet and Transient Event Investigation Project—Optical Facilities and Solutions

Over the past decades, the achievements in astronomical instrumentation have given rise to a number of novel advanced studies related to the analysis of large arrays of observational data. One of the most famous of these studies is a study of transient events in the near and far space and a search for exoplanets. The main requirements for such kinds of projects are a simultaneous coverage of the largest possible field of view with the highest possible detection limits and temporal resolution. In this study, we present a similar project aimed at creating an extensive, continuously updated survey of transient events and exoplanets. To date, the core of the project incorporates several 0.07–2.5 m optical telescopes and the 6-m BTA telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of RAS (Russia), a number of other Russian observatories and the Bonhyunsan observatory of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (South Korea). Our attention is mainly focused on the description of two groups of small, wide-angle optical telescopes for primary detection. All the telescopes are originally designed for the goals of the project and may be of interest to the scientific community. A description is also given for a new, high-precision optical spectrograph for the Doppler studies of transient and exoplanet events detected within the project. We present here the philosophy, expectations and first results obtained during the first year of running the project