Physical properties and biocompatibility of Chitosan/soy blended membranes

Blends of polysaccharides and proteins are a source for the development of novel materials with interesting and tailorable properties, with potential to be used in a range of biomedical applications. in this work a series of blended membranes composed by chitosan and soy protein isolate was prepared by solvent casting methodology. in addition, cross-linking was performed in situ with glutaraldehyde solutions in the range 5 × 10–3 – 0.1 M. Furthermore, the influence of the composition and cross-linking on the degradation behaviour, water uptake and cell adhesion was investigated. The obtained results showed that the incorporation of chitosan, associated to network formation by cross linking, promoted a slight decrease of water absorption and a slower degradability of the membranes. Moreover, direct contact biocompatibility studies, with L929 cells, indicate that the cross-linking enhances the capability of the material to support cell growth.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Dynamical suppression of decoherence in two-state quantum systems

The dynamics of a decohering two-level system driven by a suitable control Hamiltonian is studied. The control procedure is implemented as a sequence of radiofrequency pulses that repetitively flip the state of the system, a technique that can be termed quantum "bang-bang" control after its classical analog. Decoherence introduced by the system's interaction with a quantum environment is shown to be washed out completely in the limit of continuous flipping and greatly suppressed provided the interval between the pulses is made comparable to the correlation time of the environment. The model suggests a strategy to fight against decoherence that complements existing quantum error-correction techniques.Comment: 15 pages, RevTeX style, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Exploiting inflammation for therapeutic gain in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive malignancy associated with <5% 5-year survival, in which standard chemotherapeutics have limited benefit. The disease is associated with significant intra- and peritumoral inflammation and failure of protective immunosurveillance. Indeed, inflammatory signals are implicated in both tumour initiation and tumour progression. The major pathways regulating PDAC-associated inflammation are now being explored. Activation of leukocytes, and upregulation of cytokine and chemokine signalling pathways, both have been shown to modulate PDAC progression. Therefore, targeting inflammatory pathways may be of benefit as part of a multi-target approach to PDAC therapy. This review explores the pathways known to modulate inflammation at different stages of tumour development, drawing conclusions on their potential as therapeutic targets in PDAC

Biocomposite films based on κ-carrageenan/locust bean gum blends and clays : physical and antimicrobial properties

The aims of this work were to evaluate the physical and antimicrobial properties of biodegradable films composed of mixtures of κ-carrageenan (κ-car) and locust bean gum (LBG) when organically modified clay Cloisite 30B (C30B) was dispersed in the biopolymer matrix. Film-forming solutions were prepared by adding C30B (ranging from 0 to 16 wt.%) into the κ-car/LBG solution (40/60 wt.%) with 0.3 % (w/v) of glycerol. Barrier properties (water vapour permeability, P vapour; CO2 and O2 permeabilities), mechanical properties (tensile strength, TS, and elongation-at-break, EB) and thermal stability of the resulting films were determined and related with the incorporation of C30B. Also, X-ray diffraction (XRD) was done in order to investigate the effect of C30B in film structure. Antimicrobial effects of these films against Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica were also evaluated. The increase of clay concentration causes a decrease of P vapour (from 5.34 × 10−11 to 3.19 × 10−11 g (m s Pa)−1) and an increase of the CO2 permeability (from 2.26 × 10−14 to 2.91 × 10−14 g (m s Pa)−1) and did not changed significantly the O2 permeability for films with 0 and 16 wt.% C30B, respectively. Films with 16 wt.% clay exhibited the highest values of TS (33.82 MPa) and EB (29.82 %). XRD patterns of the films indicated that a degree of exfoliation is attained depending on clay concentration. κ-car/LBG–C30B films exhibited an inhibitory effect only against L. monocytogenes. κ-car/LBG–C30B composite films are a promising alternative to synthetic films in order to improve the shelf life and safety of food products.J. T. Martins, A. I. Bourbon, A. C. Pinheiro and M. A. Cerqueira gratefully acknowledge the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for their fellowships (SFRH/BD/32566/2006, SFRH/BD/73178/2010, SFRH/BD/48120/2008 and SFRH/BPD/72753/2010, respectively), and B. W. S. Souza acknowledges the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES, Brazil)

Molecular Mechanisms of Large-Conductance Ca 2+

Gintonin is a unique lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor ligand found in Panax ginseng. Gintonin induces transient [Ca2+]i through G protein-coupled LPA receptors. Large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BKCa) channels are expressed in blood vessels and neurons and play important roles in blood vessel relaxation and attenuation of neuronal excitability. BKCa channels are activated by transient [Ca2+]i and are regulated by various Ca2+-dependent kinases. We investigated the molecular mechanisms of BKCa channel activation by gintonin. BKCa channels are heterologously expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Gintonin treatment induced BKCa channel activation in oocytes expressing the BKCa channel α subunit in a concentration-dependent manner (EC50 = 0.71 ± 0.08 µg/mL). Gintonin-mediated BKCa channel activation was blocked by a PKC inhibitor, calphostin, and by the calmodulin inhibitor, calmidazolium. Site-directed mutations in BKCa channels targeting CaM kinase II or PKC phosphorylation sites but not PKA phosphorylation sites attenuated gintonin action. Mutations in the Ca2+ bowl and the regulator of K+ conductance (RCK) site also blocked gintonin action. These results indicate that gintonin-mediated BKCa channel activations are achieved through LPA1 receptor-phospholipase C-IP3-Ca2+-PKC-calmodulin-CaM kinase II pathways and calcium binding to the Ca2+ bowl and RCK domain. Gintonin could be a novel contributor against blood vessel constriction and over-excitation of neurons

SerpinB2 regulates stromal remodelling and local invasion in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer has a devastating prognosis, with an overall 5-year survival rate of ~8%, restricted treatment options and characteristic molecular heterogeneity. SerpinB2 expression, particularly in the stromal compartment, is associated with reduced metastasis and prolonged survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and our genomic analysis revealed that SERPINB2 is frequently deleted in PDAC. We show that SerpinB2 is required by stromal cells for normal collagen remodelling in vitro, regulating fibroblast interaction and engagement with collagen in the contracting matrix. In a pancreatic cancer allograft model, co-injection of PDAC cancer cells and SerpinB2(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) resulted in increased tumour growth, aberrant remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and increased local invasion from the primary tumour. These tumours also displayed elevated proteolytic activity of the primary biochemical target of SerpinB2-urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA). In a large cohort of patients with resected PDAC, we show that increasing uPA mRNA expression was significantly associated with poorer survival following pancreatectomy. This study establishes a novel role for SerpinB2 in the stromal compartment in PDAC invasion through regulation of stromal remodelling and highlights the SerpinB2/uPA axis for further investigation as a potential therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer

Coupling of Semiconductor Nanowires with Neurons and Their Interfacial Structure

We report on the compatibility of various nanowires with hippocampal neurons and the structural study of the neuron–nanowire interface. Si, Ge, SiGe, and GaN nanowires are compatible with hippocampal neurons due to their native oxide, but ZnO nanowires are toxic to neuron due to a release of Zn ion. The interfaces of fixed Si nanowire and hippocampal neuron, cross-sectional samples, were prepared by focused ion beam and observed by transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the processes of neuron were adhered well on the nanowire without cleft