Adapting tumor interstitial fluid pressure for intraperitoneal chemotherapy

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Sex Determination: Ways to Evolve a Hermaphrodite

Most species of the nematode genus Caenorhabditis reproduce through males and females; C. elegans and C. briggsae, however, produce self-fertile hermaphrodites instead of females. These transitions to hermaphroditism evolved convergently through distinct modifications of germline sex determination mechanisms

Plasticity and Errors of a Robust Developmental System in Different Environments

SummaryMany developmental processes generate invariant phenotypes in a wide range of ecological conditions. Such robustness to environmental variation is a fundamental biological property, yet its extent, limits, and adaptive significance have rarely been assessed empirically. Here we tested how environmental variation affects vulval formation in Caenorhabditis nematodes. In different environments, a correct vulval pattern develops with high precision, but rare deviant patterns reveal the system's limits and how its mechanisms respond to environmental challenges. Key features of the apparent robustness are functional redundancy among vulval precursor cells and tolerance to quantitative variation in Ras, Notch, and Wnt pathway activities. The observed environmental responses and precision of vulval patterning vary within and between Caenorhabditis species. These results highlight the complex response of developmental systems to the environment and illustrate how a robust and invariant phenotype may result through cellular and molecular processes that are highly plastic—across environments and evolution

Pretreatment with VEGF(R)-inhibitors reduces interstitial fluid pressure, increases intraperitoneal chemotherapy drug penetration, and impedes tumor growth in a mouse colorectal carcinomatosis model

Cytoreductive surgery combined with intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPC) is currently the standard treatment for selected patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis of colorectal cancer. However, especially after incomplete cytoreduction, disease progression is common and this is likely due to limited tissue penetration and efficacy of intraperitoneal cytotoxic drugs. Tumor microenvironment-targeting drugs, such as VEGF(R) and PDGFR inhibitors, can lower the heightened interstitial fluid pressure in tumors, a barrier to drug delivery. Here, we investigated whether tumor microenvironment-targeting drugs enhance the effectiveness of intraperitoneal chemotherapy. A mouse xenograft model with two large peritoneal implants of colorectal cancer cells was developed to study drug distribution and tumor physiology during intraperitoneal Oxaliplatin perfusion. Mice were treated for six days with either Placebo, Imatinib (anti-PDGFR, daily), Bevacizumab (anti-VEGF, twice) or Pazopanib (anti-PDGFR, -VEGFR; daily) followed by intraperitoneal oxaliplatin chemotherapy. Bevacizumab and Pazopanib significantly lowered interstitial fluid pressure, increased Oxaliplatin penetration (assessed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and delayed tumor growth of peritoneal implants (assessed by MRI). Our findings suggest that VEGF(R)-inhibition may improve the efficacy of IPC, particularly for patients for whom a complete cytoreduction might not be feasible

Heteronuclear molecules in an optical lattice: Theory and experiment

We study properties of two different atoms at a single optical lattice site at a heteronuclear atomic Feshbach resonance. We calculate the energy spectrum, the efficiency of rf association and the lifetime as a function of magnetic field and compare the results with the experimental data obtained for K-40 and Rb-87 [C. Ospelkaus et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 120402 (2006)]. We treat the interaction in terms of a regularized delta function pseudopotential and consider the general case of particles with different trap frequencies, where the usual approach of separating center-of-mass and relative motion fails. We develop an exact diagonalization approach to the coupling between center-of-mass and relative motion and numerically determine the spectrum of the system. At the same time, our approach allows us to treat the anharmonicity of the lattice potential exactly. Within the pseudopotential model, the center of the Feshbach resonance can be precisely determined from the experimental data.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, revised discussion of transfer efficienc

Worker churn in the cross section and over time: New evidence from Germany

Worker churn is procyclical in the German labor market. We study the plant-level connection of churn and employment growth using the new Administrative Wage and Labor Market Flow Panel from 1975 to 2014. Churn is V-shaped in employment growth. Through analyzing this pattern by worker skill, age, and tenure, we establish that churn is unlikely to result from plant reorganization but rather from uncertainty about match quality. In a dynamic labor demand framework with a time-to-hire friction, churn can be interpreted as a manifestation of idiosyncratically stochastic separation shocks. These shocks become larger and more predictable during booms, leading to procyclical churn.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FTP/2007-2013) / ERC Grant agreement no. 282740. Felix Wellschmied gratefully acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Economics through research grants ECO2014-56384-P, MDM 2014-0431, and Comunidad de Madrid MadEco-CM (S2015/HUM-3444). Heiko Stüber gratefully acknowledge support from the German Research Foundation (DFG) under priority program “The German Labor Market in a Globalized World” (SPP 1764). Christian Merkl gratefully acknowledge support from SPP 1764 and the Hans Frisch Stiftung

The antiviral potential of algal lectins

Algae have emerged as fascinating subjects of study due to their vast potential as sources of valuable metabolites with diverse biotechnological applications, including their use as fertilizers, feed, food, and even pharmaceutical precursors. Among the numerous compounds found in algae, lectins have garnered special attention for their unique structures and carbohydrate specificities, distinguishing them from lectins derived from other sources. Here, a comprehensive overview of the latest scientific and technological advancements in the realm of algal lectins with a particular focus on their antiviral properties is provided. These lectins have displayed remarkable effectiveness against a wide range of viruses, thereby holding great promise for various antiviral applications. It is worth noting that several alga species have already been successfully commercialized for their antiviral potential. However, the discovery of a diverse array of lectins with potent antiviral capabilities suggests that the field holds immense untapped potential for further expansion. In conclusion, algae stand as a valuable and versatile resource, and their lectins offer an exciting avenue for developing novel antiviral agents, which may lead to the development of cutting-edge antiviral therapies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

El surrealismo natural en las fotografías del libro documental "estudio courret hnos. 1863-1935: La destrucción del olvido"

La presente investigación pretende identificar las características del surrealismo natural en las fotografías del libro: Estudio Courret Hnos.1863-1935. La destrucción del olvido. Tiene como objetivos: determinar qué características del surrealismo predominan en sus fotografías, describir sus particularidades más resaltantes y aportar un enfoque integral de la fotografía histórica nacional, a partir del análisis de sus imágenes. La metodología fue descriptiva, aplicada y de diseño descriptivo simple. Se trabajó con una muestra conformada de 10 fotografías, que hacen referencia al problema propuesto. La muestra fue por conveniencia, no probabilística y se eligió trabajar con retratos pos-morten; retratos de celebridades, héroes nacionales, amas de leche y tapadas limeñas, entre otros. Los datos fueron recolectados a través de una lista de cotejos. Al analizar los resultados se advirtió la presencia recurrente de una de las cuatro características consideradas en el estudio asociadas al surrealismo natural: El automatismo. Esta investigación constituye un aporte al área de fotografía, y a los estudios de ciencias de la comunicación, debido a que amplia nuestra perspectiva histórica, documental y artística de la imagen fotográfica.This research aims to identify the characteristics of natural surrealism in the photographs of the book: Courret Bros. Studio 1863-1935. “La destrucción del olvido”. Its objectives are: to determine which characteristics of surrealism predominate in its photographs, describe its most outstanding features and provide an integral approach to national historical photography, based on the analysis of its images. The methodology was descriptive, applied and of simple descriptive design. We worked with a sample consisting of 10 photographs, which refer to the proposed problem. The sample was for convenience, not probabilistic and it was chosen to work with post-morten portraits; portraits of celebrities, national heroes, milk babysitters and covered woman from Lima, among others. The data was collected through a checklist. When analyzing the results, the recurrent presence of one of the four characteristics considered in the study associated with natural surrealism was noticed: The automatism. This research constitutes a contribution to the area of photography, and to the studies of communication sciences, because it broadens our historical, documentary and artistic perspective of the photographic image.Tesi