Processing Highly Porous Calcium Phosphate Ceramics for Use in Bioreactor Cores for Culturing Human Liver Cells In-Vitro

Chronic liver disease is the 11th highest cause of death in the United States claiming over 30,000 lives in 2009. The current treatment for chronic liver failure is liver transplantation but the availability of tissue is far less than the number of patients in need. To develop human liver tissue in the lab a 3D culturing environment must be created to support the growth of a complex tissue. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) has been chosen as a scaffold material because of its biocompatibility in the body and the ability to create a bioresorbable scaffold. By using a ceramic material, it is possible to create a three dimensional, protective environment in which tissue can grow. Chronic liver disease is the 11th highest cause of death in the United States claiming over 30,000 lives in 2009. The current treatment for chronic liver failure is liver transplantation but the availability of tissue is far less than the number of patients in need. To develop human liver tissue in the lab a 3D culturing environment must be created to support the growth of a complex tissue. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) has been chosen as a scaffold material because of its biocompatibility in the body and the ability to create a bioresorbable scaffold. By using a ceramic material, it is possible to create a three dimensional, protective environment in which tissue can grow. The first part of this study is to examine the behavior of adult human liver cells grown on composites of HAp and different biocompatible hydrogels. Porous HAp has been created using an emulsion foaming technique and cells are injected into the structure after being suspended in a hydrogel and are kept in culture for up to 28 days. Functional assays, gene expression and fluorescent microscopy will be used to examine these cultures. The second part of this study will be to develop a processing technique to create a resorbable scaffold that incorporates a vascular system template. Previous experiments have shown the high temperature decomposition of HAp into resorbable calcium phosphates will be used to create a multiphase material. By controlling the amount of transformation product formed, it is proposed that the resorption of the scaffold can be tailored. To introduce a pore network to guide the growth of a vascular system, a positive-negative casting technique has also been developed. A positive polymer copy can be made of a natural vascular system and ceramic is foamed around the copy. During sintering, the polymer is pyrolyzed leaving a multiscale pore network in the ceramic. By combining these techniques, it is proposed that a calcium phosphate bioreactor core can be processed that is suitable for the culturing of human liver tissue

Occurrence of aflatoxins in feedstuff, sheep milk and dairy products in Western Sicily

Samples of feedstuffs (15), milk (40), and cheese (30) coming from sheep and dairy farms (23) or market in WesternSicily were analyzed for their respective content of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and M1 (AFM1) to evidence any possible indirectmycotoxin contamination risk to the consumer. Analyses using HPLC and fluorescence detection were performed afterimmunoaffinity column sample extraction and cleanup; AFM1 was detected in 30% of the milk samples at levels rangingfrom 4 to 23 ng/l and in 13% of the cheeses from 21 to 101 ng/kg; in the feed the AFB1 ranged from <10 to 769 ng/kg.None of the contaminated samples exceeded the legal limits set down by the European Union for milk (50 ng/l) and feed(5 μg/kg ), or that in force in the Netherlands for cheese (200 ng/kg)

Studi sul Moyen Français A proposito degli Actes du IIIe Colloque International sur la Littérature en Moyen Français (Milan, 21-22 mai 2003)

Gli studi sul periodo della lingua francese definito da Arsène Darmesteter e da Ferdinand Brunot moyen français, i cui termini cronologici vanno convenzionalmente dall’avvento al trono dei Valois (1328) a quello dei Borboni (1594), con qualche spostamento dei termini cronologici da parte di alcuni studiosi, hanno una storia relativamente recente, tanto che ancora nel 1988 si ritiene opportuno aprire i lavori del VI Colloquio Internazionale con una sintesi storica affidata a Marc Wilmet. Come ..

PENGARUH PENERAPAN KOMBINASI METODE INKUIRI DAN RECIPROCAL TEACHING TERHADAP CAPAIAN PEMAHAMAN KONSEP SISWA

Abstract This research aims to find out of achievement of student understanding concept between applied combination learning of inquiry and reciprocal teaching methods’ class (experimental class) and learning of inquiry method’s class (control class). The research method used quasi experiment with the randomized posttest-only control group design. The sample consists of 39 students in X grade in one of senior high school in Rengat. The finding research is overall achivement of student understanding concept in class experimental was better than control class. However, if we look for details, achivement of understanding concept indicators for translation indicator, we got that control class is better than experimental class, but for interpretation and ekstrapolation indicators, we got that experimental class is better than control class. Overall, there is no different achivement of student understanding concept significantly. AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui perbedaan capaian pemahaman konsep siswa antara kelas yang diterapkan pembelajaran kombinasi metode inkuiri dan reciprocal teaching (kelas eksperimen) dengan kelas yang diterapkan metode Inkuiri (kelas kontrol). Metode penelitiannya adalah kuasi eksperimen dengan the randomized posttest-only control group design dan sampel sebanyak 39 siswa kelas X di salah satu SMAN di Rengat. Hasil penelitiannya yaitu secara keseluruhan capaian pemahaman konsep siswa yang mendapatkan penerapan pembelajaran menggunakan kombinasi metode inkuiri dan reciprocal teaching lebih baik dibandingkan siswa yang mendapatkan penerapan pembelajaran metode inkuiri. Ditinjau dari indikator pemahaman konsep, capaian indikator translasi, siswa yang dikenai penerapan pembelajaran metode inkuiri lebih baik dibandingkan siswa yang dikenai penerapan pembelajaran kombinasi metode inkuiri dan reciprocal teaching, namun capaian indikator interpretasi dan ekstrapolasi siswa yang dikenai penerapan pembelajaran kombinasi metode inkuiri dan reciprocal teaching lebih baik dibandingkan siswa yang dikenai penerapan pembelajaran metode inkuiri. Secara keseluruhan, tidak ada perbedaan yang signifikan pada capaian pemahaman konsep siswa.Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15408/es.v7i1.139

Tommaso iii di Saluzzo, Le livre du Chevalier Errant (BnF ms. fr. 12599)

Si tratta dell’edizione del ms. della Bibliothèque nationale de France, recentemente esposto in occasione della mostra La légende du roi Arthur (BnF, 20 ottobre 2009 - 24 gennaio 2010), preceduta da vari “interventi”. Il primo, di Marco Piccat, Tommaso III, Marchese errante: l’autobiografia cavalleresca di un Saluzzo (pp. 5-26), collocando l’opera e l’autore nella situazione del marchesato di Saluzzo alla fine del secolo xiv, con molte e pertinenti testimonianze sugli elementi biografici, sul..

Polyphasic identification of Penicillium spp. isolated from Spanish semi-hard ripened cheeses

P. 409-444Fifteen samples of semi-hard ripened cheeses, both spoiled (10) and unspoiled (5), and obtained from cheese factories located in Northwest of Spain, were analysed by a dilution plating technique and direct sampling. A total of 32 isolates were identified at species level by a polyphasic approach (phenotypic characterization, partial extrolite analysis and molecular identification). Most isolates (65.6%) belonged to the species P. commune; other species found were P. solitum, P. chrysogenum, P. nordicum, P. expansum and P. cvjetkovicii. All of the P. commune isolates were able to produce cyclopiazonic acid, while the P. nordicum and the P. expansum isolates were producers of ochratoxin A and patulin respectively. Despite this, the role of P. commune as beneficial fungi in cheese ripening should be investigated. Molecular identification based on BenA sequence analysis was able to identify the majority of isolates. The three mycotoxins investigated can be considered key for identification. The polyphasic approach seems to be a very valuable tool for identification of isolates of this complex genusS

Capacidad de recuperación de los campos naturales entrerrianos a partir del banco de semillas

Se estimó la capacidad de recuperación de los campos naturales a partir del banco de semillas. Se estudiaron cuatro ambientes, analizando la vegetación en pie y el banco de semillas. En la vegetación se estimó densidad en leñosas y frecuencia en herbáceas; densidad para semillas por especie, total y grupo funcional del banco de semillas. Se comparó el banco de semillas con la vegetación y definió el potencial de recuperación. Las gramíneas estivales presentaron mayor frecuencia en la vegetación. En el banco el mayor número fue de 58.379 semillas/m2, siendo las monocotiledóneas no gramíneas las más abundantes. La similitud fue baja y prevaleció un amplio número de especies con banco transitorio. Las gramíneas estivales, monocotiledóneas no gramíneas y dicotiledóneas son los grupos con mayores posibilidades de restaurar la vegetación y las gramíneas invernales y leguminosas solo en situaciones menos degradadas. Las leñosas mostraron bajas posibilidades de regeneración del bosque. En el corto plazo, pueden darse cambios importantes en la vegetación

Cyclopiazonic Acid Biosynthesis of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus oryzae

Cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) is an indole-tetramic acid neurotoxin produced by some of the same strains of A. flavus that produce aflatoxins and by some Aspergillus oryzae strains. Despite its discovery 40 years ago, few reviews of its toxicity and biosynthesis have been reported. This review examines what is currently known about the toxicity of CPA to animals and humans, both by itself or in combination with other mycotoxins. The review also discusses CPA biosynthesis and the genetic diversity of CPA production in A. flavus/oryzae populations

Sauver Byzance de la barbarie du monde

Il volume ripercorre la trattazione del mitema di Bisanzio nella letteratura francese e francofona dalle origini ai giorni nostr