Az Open Acces támogatásának közép-európai gyakorlata: Nemzetközi konferencia az MTA Könyvtár és Információs Központban

2015. október 29-én és 30-án mintegy ötven fő részvételével nemzetközi konferenciát tartott a PASTEUR4OA projekt (http://pasteur4oa.eu/) Budapesten, az MTA Könyvtár és Információs Központban. Az eseményen kutatást támogató szervezetek és a tudományos kutatást képviselő intézmények munkatársai vettek részt Ausztriából, Belgiumból, Horvátországból, a Cseh Köztársaságból, Észtországból, Magyarországról, Lettországból, Litvániából, Lengyelországból, Portugáliából, Romániából, Szlovákiából, Szlovéniából és az Egyesült Királyságból

On-line characterization of nanoparticles by single particle ICP-MS utilizing microfluidic devices

In this study, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) - glass microfluidic chips (MCs) were designed and fabricated using moulds prepared by a professional 3D printer. The prepared chips were used for the dilution, counting and characterization of nanoparticles (NPs) performing single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) measurements

Multifunctional microfluidic chips for the single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis of inorganic nanoparticles

This study aimed at exploiting the so far unexploited potential of carrying out on-line sample pretreatment steps on microfluidic chips for single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) measurements, and demonstrating their ability to practically facilitate most of the simpler tasks involved in the spICP-MS analysis of nanoparticles. For this purpose, polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic chips, capable of high-range dilution and sample injection were made by casting, using high-precision, 3D-printed molds. Optimization of their geometry and functions was done by running several hydrodynamic simulations and by gravimetric, fluorescence enhanced microscope imaging and solution-based ICP-MS experiments. On the optimized microfluidic chips, several experiments were done, demonstrating the benefits of the approach and these devices, such as the determination of nanoparticle concentration using only a few tens of microliters of sample, elimination of solute interferences by dilution, solution-based size calibration and characterisation of binary nanoparticles. Due to the unique design of the chips, they can be linked together to extend the dilution range of the system by more than a magnitude per chip. This feature was also demonstrated in applications requiring multiple-magnitude dilution rates, when two chips were sequentially couple

Az extracelluláris mátrix komponensek tumorinvázióban betöltött szerepe intrakraniális daganatokban. The role of extracellular matrix components in the invasion of intracranial malignancies.

A primer agydaganatok gyakorlatilag mindig bekövetkezõ lokális kiújulásának egyik fõ oka a daganatsejtek környezõ agyállományt érintõ infiltrációja. Ez az invazív tulajdonság teszi általában lehetetlenné a teljes mûtéti tumoreltávolítást és a fokális sugárkezelés effektivitását is jelentõsen csökkenti. Érdekes módon azonban egyéb szerveink szintén anaplasztikus tumorainak nem ritka agyi áttétei sokkal kisebb mértékû peritumorális beszûrõdést mutatnak, így radikális eltávolításuk és sugárkezelésük (akár sztereotaxiás pontbesugárzással is) igen jó eredménnyel jár. A két daganattípus kezelési effektivitásában tapasztalt jelentõs különbség magyarázata leginkább a jelentõsen eltérõ mértékû környezeti invázióban keresendõ. Nem véletlen tehát, hogy a különbözõ agydaganatok infiltrációs képességének molekuláris szintû kutatására régóta komoly erõfeszítéseket tettek, és az antiinvazív készítmények onkoterápiában való alkalmazására is számos kísérlet történt. Ezeknek a kutatási eredményeknek az összefoglalása található az alábbi közleményben, mely az agydaganatok inváziójának sejt- és molekuláris szintû folyamatai mellett a potenciális onkoterápiás lehetõségeket is ismerteti. The usual local recurrence of primary brain tumors is mainly due to the infiltration of adjacent brain parenchyma by the glioma cells. This invasive feature of the tumors makes total surgical excision impossible and also decreases the efficacy of focal radiotherapy. Interestingly, intracerebral metastases originating from many anaplastic tumors of other organs perform very moderate peritumoral infiltration, therefore radical resection can be routinely achieved and focal irradiation, even stereotactic radiotherapy, provides good tumor control. Differences in the effectiveness of treatment between the two tumor types derive from the remarkably different extent of peritumoral infiltration. Thus significant molecular biological research has been dealing with the infiltrative activity of various brain tumors and many attempts were made to develop anti-invasive drugs for oncotherapy. This review summarizes the results of these studies, describing cellular and molecular events of brain tumor invasion and according potential oncotherapeutic possibilities

Optimization of flow control and channel patterns designed for use in sequentially coupled microfluidic chips and nanoparticle characterization by single particle ICP-MS

In this study, we developed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) - glass microfluidic chips (MCs) with the ability to function in a sequentially coupled way. We optimized their channel pattern and demonstrated that this feature makes them a more effective tool for carrying out sample preparation steps in single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS) such as dilution, counting, and characterization of nanoparticles (NPs)

Combined treatment of MCF-7 cells with AICAR and methotrexate, arrests cell cycle and reverses Warburg metabolism through AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and FOXO1

Cancer cells are characterized by metabolic alterations, namely, depressed mitochondrial oxidation, enhanced glycolysis and pentose phosphate shunt flux to support rapid cell growth, which is called the Warburg effect. In our study we assessed the metabolic consequences of a joint treatment of MCF-7 breast cancer cells with AICAR, an inducer of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) jointly with methotrexate (MTX), a folate-analog antimetabolite that blunts de novo nucleotide synthesis. MCF7 cells, a model of breast cancer cells, were resistant to the individual application of AICAR or MTX, however combined treatment of AICAR and MTX reduced cell proliferation. Prolonged joint application of AICAR and MTX induced AMPK and consequently enhanced mitochondrial oxidation and reduced the rate of glycolysis. These metabolic changes suggest an anti-Warburg rearrangement of metabolism that led to the block of the G1/S and the G2/M transition slowing down cell cycle. The slowdown of cell proliferation was abolished when mitotropic transcription factors, PGC-1α, PGC-1β or FOXO1 were silenced. In human breast cancers higher expression of AMPKα and FOXO1 extended survival. AICAR and MTX exerts similar additive antiproliferative effect on other breast cancer cell lines, such as SKBR and 4T1 cells, too. Our data not only underline the importance of Warburg metabolism in breast cancer cells but nominate the AICAR+MTX combination as a potential cytostatic regime blunting Warburg metabolism. Furthermore, we suggest the targeting of AMPK and FOXO1 to combat breast cancer