Drug capture efficacy using polystyrenesulfonate-coated chemofilter device

Endovascular chemotherapy is an effective treatment option for cancer, however, the therapeutic agents used in this procedure often travel to non-target tissues and cause severe toxicity. Side-effects of chemotherapy range from nausea to life-threatening conditions. A strategy to reduce exposure of healthy tissues and organs to the toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents, such as doxorubicin (DOX), is to remove these drugs from systemic circulation after they have passed through the tumor site. With this goal in mind, different types of ChemoFilter devices have shown promise in alleviating these detrimental side effects. When placed downstream from the targeted tumor during intra-arterial chemotherapy, excess therapeutic agents bind to the device, preventing them from entering systemic circulation. In this study, we evaluated the doxorubicin-binding efficacy of a 3D printed porous cylindrical ChemoFilter device coated with sulfonated pentablock copolymers. Closed-circuit flow models experiments integrating 11 devices (uncoated or coated) at two concentrations of DOX (0.01 mg/mL and 0.05 mg/mL) were conducted. Samples collected from these flow models were used to treat H9c2 cell cultures, a rat embryonic cardiac cell line selected due to DOX cardiotoxicity. After a 24-hour treatment period, cell viability was calculated using the Trypan blue exclusion method. At 0.01 mg/mL DOX and 0.05 mg/mL DOX, the 3D printed polystyrenesulfonate-coated absorbers effectively filtered and eliminated DOX toxicity, increasing the H9c2 cell viability by 12.97% and 23.11%, respectively. These results confirm the ChemoFilter’s ability to successfully absorb DOX in vitro, showing promise for its possible future use in clinical trials

Geriatric Inclusive Art and Length of Stay in Acute Care Unit: A Case-Control Pilot Study

International audienc

Clinical, ultrasonographic and CT markers for botulinum toxin injections into the piriformis muscle

Pla general de la platja de la Barceloneta. Hi destaca l'escultura Peix

How to position anewhigh-end sportswear brand, recto verso sports,within the new paradigm of the luxury fashion market

This dissertation revolves around the new paradigm of the luxury fashion market which is the consequence of the rising athleisure trend through an increasing cross-sector convergence between sportswear brands and luxury fashion. (Woodworth, 2018)Athleisure is the fastest growing clothing category in fashion (Allied Market Research, 2019)and can be defined as “casual clothing designed to be worn both for exercising and for general use”. (Merriam Webster, 2019)Recto Verso Sports is a new Belgian high-end sportswear brand tapping intothe rising athleisure trend by offering a collection that covers multiple categories being sportswear, athleisure wear and fashion. As a newcomer in this highly competitive market and because of operating in different categories of the fashion industry, Recto Verso facesdifficulties in finding the right positioning for the brand.Therefore, the goal of this work project is to answer the following research question ‘How to position a new high-end sportswear brand Recto Verso Sportswithin the new paradigm of the luxury fashion market’. First, literature research was conducted followed by qualitative market research through in-depth interviews and focus groups. This research shows thatthe growth of athleisure is driven by wellness aspirations, celebrity endorsement on social media(Woodworth, 2018)and a search for comfortable yet fashionable (luxury) clothing. Furthermore, collaborative capsule collections are the expression of sportswear brands going moreand moreinto luxury fashion and vice versa, contributingto the rising luxury athleisure trend. (BCG-Altagamma, 2019)Luxury athleisure is considered a fashion statement delivering both substance and status and is generally not used to conduct sports. Recto Verso shouldpositionitselfas a luxury sportswear/athleisure brand that also delivers status next to the substance it already delivers through its superior quality and comfort

Analysis of 8years activity of the mobile rehabilitation team in the Besançon University Hospital

International audienc

Ventral subicular interaction with the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus: Evidence for a relay in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

The axonal projections of the ventral subiculum to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) were examined in the rat with the anterograde neuronal tracer Phaseolus vulgaris - leucoagglutinin (PHA-L). Axons originating in the ventral subiculum coursed to the BST through either the fimbria-fornix, or a pathway involving the stria terminalis via the amygdala. Ventral subicular axons gave rise to dense terminal networks that were preferentially distributed in medial and ventral subregions of the BST. The distribution of subicular fibers and terminals was examined in relation to BST neurons that project to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). In these cases, discrete iontophoretic injections of the retrograde tracer Fluoro-gold were made in the PVN, with PHA-L delivered to the ipsilateral ventral subiculum. An immunocytochemical double-labeling protocol was then employed for the simultaneous detection of PHA-L and Fluoro-gold, and provided light microscopic evidence for subicular input to PVN-projecting cells located within the BST. In a second series of experiments, the Γ-amino butyric acid (GABA)ergic nature of the BST was examined by in situ hybridization histochemistry for detection of transcripts encoding GAD 67 mRNA. The studies revealed that a high proportion of BST neurons express GAD 67 transcripts. Also, experiments combining Fluoro-gold tracing with GAD 67 in situ hybridization suggested that a proportion of PVN-projecting neurons in the BST are GABAergic. Taken together, the results of these sets of studies suggest that the inhibitory influences of the hippocampus on the PVN might be relayed through specific portions of the BST. These findings may have important implications for our understanding of the neural regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50057/1/903320102_ftp.pd

Impact of Metastatic Microenvironment on Physiology and Metabolism of Small Cell Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer Patient-Derived Xenografts

Background: Potent androgen receptor pathway inhibitors induce small cell neuroendocrine prostate cancer (SCNC), a highly aggressive subtype of metastatic androgen deprivation-resistant prostate cancer (ARPC) with limited treatment options and poor survival rates. Patients with metastases in the liver have a poor prognosis relative to those with bone metastases alone. The mechanisms that underlie the different behavior of ARPC in bone vs. liver may involve factors intrinsic to the tumor cell, tumor microenvironment, and/or systemic factors, and identifying these factors is critical to improved diagnosis and treatment of SCNC. Metabolic reprogramming is a fundamental strategy of tumor cells to colonize and proliferate in microenvironments distinct from the primary site. Understanding the metabolic plasticity of cancer cells may reveal novel approaches to imaging and treating metastases more effectively. Methods: Using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and spectroscopy, we interrogated the physiological and metabolic characteristics of SCNC patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) propagated in the bone and liver, and used correlative biochemical, immunohistochemical, and transcriptomic measures to understand the biological underpinnings of the observed imaging metrics. Results: We found that the influence of the microenvironment on physiologic measures using MRI was variable among PDXs. However, the MR measure of glycolytic capacity in the liver using hyperpolarized 13C pyruvic acid recapitulated the enzyme activity (lactate dehydrogenase), cofactor (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), and stable isotope measures of fractional enrichment of lactate. While in the bone, the congruence of the glycolytic components was lost and potentially weighted by the interaction of cancer cells with osteoclasts/osteoblasts. Conclusion: While there was little impact of microenvironmental factors on metabolism, the physiological measures (cellularity and perfusion) are highly variable and necessitate the use of combined hyperpolarized 13C MRI and multiparametric (anatomic, diffusion-, and perfusion- weighted) 1H MRI to better characterize pre-treatment tumor characteristics, which will be crucial to evaluate treatment response

Diurnal Rhythms in Neurexins Transcripts and Inhibitory/Excitatory Synapse Scaffold Proteins in the Biological Clock

The neurexin genes (NRXN1/2/3) encode two families (α and β) of highly polymorphic presynaptic proteins that are involved in excitatory/inhibitory synaptic balance. Recent studies indicate that neuronal activation and memory formation affect NRXN1/2/3α expression and alternative splicing at splice sites 3 and 4 (SS#3/SS#4). Neurons in the biological clock residing in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus (SCN) act as self-sustained oscillators, generating rhythms in gene expression and electrical activity, to entrain circadian bodily rhythms to the 24 hours day/night cycles. Cell autonomous oscillations in NRXN1/2/3α expression and SS#3/SS#4 exons splicing and their links to rhythms in excitatory/inhibitory synaptic balance in the circadian clock were explored. NRXN1/2/3α expression and SS#3/SS#4 splicing, levels of neurexin-2α and the synaptic scaffolding proteins PSD-95 and gephyrin (representing excitatory and inhibitory synapses, respectively) were studied in mRNA and protein extracts obtained from SCN of C3H/J mice at different times of the 24 hours day/night cycle. Further studies explored the circadian oscillations in these components and causality relationships in immortalized rat SCN2.2 cells. Diurnal rhythms in mNRXN1α and mNRXN2α transcription, SS#3/SS#4 exon-inclusion and PSD-95 gephyrin and neurexin-2α levels were found in the SCN in vivo. No such rhythms were found with mNRXN3α. SCN2.2 cells also exhibited autonomous circadian rhythms in rNRXN1/2 expression SS#3/SS#4 exon inclusion and PSD-95, gephyrin and neurexin-2α levels. rNRXN3α and rNRXN1/2β were not expressed. Causal relationships were demonstrated, by use of specific siRNAs, between rNRXN2α SS#3 exon included transcripts and gephyrin levels in the SCN2.2 cells. These results show for the first time dynamic, cell autonomous, diurnal rhythms in expression and splicing of NRXN1/2 and subsequent effects on the expression of neurexin-2α and postsynaptic scaffolding proteins in SCN across the 24-h cycle. NRXNs gene transcripts may have a role in coupling the circadian clock to diurnal rhythms in excitatory/inhibitory synaptic balance

Depolarising and Hyperpolarising Actions of GABA A Receptor Activation on Gonadotrophin‐Releasing Hormone Neurones: Towards an Emerging Consensus

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86958/1/j.1365-2826.2011.02145.x.pd