Stratum corneum permeabilization with photoacoustic waves generated by piezophotonic materials

AbstractPhotoacoustic (PA) waves generated by short laser pulses absorbed by piezophotonic materials are shown to permeabilize the stratum corneum to large molecules and proteins. Two minutes of such PA waves at a laser pulse frequency of 20Hz increase the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) of healthy human skin by a factor of 2.5, and the skin relaxes to normal two minutes later. The intraepidermal delivery of Green Fluorescence Protein (GFP) in minipigs with this method does not lead to observable adverse effects. The distinctive features of the piezophotonic materials are the high light-to-pressure conversion efficiency and the generation of PA waves with the duration of the laser pulses. Such features combine to yield broadband pressure waves with steep pressure gradients that are capable of permeabilizing the stratum corneum

Take advantage of glutamine anaplerosis, the kernel of the metabolic rewiring in malignant gliomas

Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid that plays a key role in the metabolism of proliferating cells including neoplastic cells. In the central nervous system (CNS), glutamine metabolism is particularly relevant, because the glutamine-glutamate cycle is a way of controlling the production of glutamate-derived neurotransmitters by tightly regulating the bioavailability of the amino acids in a neuron-astrocyte metabolic symbiosis-dependent manner. Glutamine-related metabolic adjustments have been reported in several CNS malignancies including malignant gliomas that are considered ‘glutamine addicted’. In these tumors, glutamine becomes an essential amino acid preferentially used in energy and biomass production including glutathione (GSH) generation, which is crucial in oxidative stress control. Therefore, in this review, we will highlight the metabolic remodeling that gliomas undergo, focusing on glutamine metabolism. We will address some therapeutic regimens including novel research attempts to target glutamine metabolism and a brief update of diagnosis strategies that take advantage of this altered profile. A better understanding of malignant glioma cell metabolism will help in the identification of new molecular targets and the design of new therapies.publishersversionpublishe

Metabolic Profiles Point Out Metabolic Pathways Pivotal in Two Glioblastoma (GBM) Cell Lines, U251 and U-87MG

Funding Information: The institutions are funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (FCT/MCTES, Portugal) through national funds to iNOVA4Health (UIDB/04462/2020 and UIDP/04462/2020), to MOSTMICRO-ITQB (UIDB/04612/2020 and UIDP/04612/2020), and the Associated Laboratory LS4FUTURE (LA/P/0087/2020). Filipa Martins was funded by an FCT individual Ph.D. fellowship (2020.04780.BD). Luis G. Gonçalves was financed by a FCT contract according to DL57/2016, (SFRH/BPD/111100/2015). This work benefited from access to CERMAX, ITQB-NOVA, Oeiras, Portugal with equipment funded by FCT, project AAC 01/SAICT/2016. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most lethal central nervous system (CNS) tumor, mainly due to its high heterogeneity, invasiveness, and proliferation rate. These tumors remain a therapeutic challenge, and there are still some gaps in the GBM biology literature. Despite the significant amount of knowledge produced by research on cancer metabolism, its implementation in cancer treatment has been limited. In this study, we explored transcriptomics data from the TCGA database to provide new insights for future definition of metabolism-related patterns useful for clinical applications. Moreover, we investigated the impact of key metabolites (glucose, lactate, glutamine, and glutamate) in the gene expression and metabolic profile of two GBM cell lines, U251 and U-87MG, together with the impact of these organic compounds on malignancy cell features. GBM cell lines were able to adapt to the exposure to each tested organic compound. Both cell lines fulfilled glycolysis in the presence of glucose and were able to produce and consume lactate. Glutamine dependency was also highlighted, and glutamine and glutamate availability favored biosynthesis observed by the increase in the expression of genes involved in fatty acid (FA) synthesis. These findings are relevant and point out metabolic pathways to be targeted in GBM and also reinforce that patients’ metabolic profiling can be useful in terms of personalized medicine.publishersversionpublishe

Contact stiffness estimation in ANSYS using simplified models and artificial neural networks

The elastic contact problem, as implemented in some commercial software such as ANSYS, depends on the user choice of some parameters such as normal contact stiffness, penetration limit and contact algorithms. This work investigates the artificial neural networks (ANN) potential to predict the value of some parameters, avoiding the trial-and-error procedure to determine these values. Contact problems based on simple problems are used to train the neural network, so it can predict the normal contact stiffness for more complex problems. Some contact examples are evaluated, including the small end connecting rod contact problem, of great importance in automobile industry

Photophysics of 3-hydroxyflavone in supercritical CO2: a probe to study the microenvironment of SCF

The excitation of 3-hydroxyflavone (3HF) to its second excited singlet state (S2) gives rise to dual fluorescence in supercritical carbon dioxide. The ultraviolet fluorescence originated from the S2 state of 3HF is well separated from the green emission emanating from the tautomeric form, produced via the excited state intramolecular proton transfer. The relative intensity of the S2 to the tautomer fluorescence (S2/T) has been studied as a function of pressure and temperature. It is shown that this ratio reflects the microheterogeneity of the supercritical CO2, and confirms the value of fluorometric probes in disclosing the microscopic properties of supercritical fluids.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TFN-4BVP7G9-3/1/02dd61c567fe3e9c8d6ac86a01f79ce

Aproximaciones a los tipos de personalidad según el Eneagrama

This paper aims to show some of the theoretical review conducted as part of research for the degree of Master in Clinical Psychology and Health at San Marcos National University. This article takes as its axis the Enneagram as a typology of the personality, looking here a first approach to the arguments of who made such a statement, referencing the contributions of George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, who introduced the Enneagram to the Western world, and Claudio Naranjo, a Chilean psychiatrist considered one of the pioneers of transpersonal psychology, who has provided support to the Enneagram as a tool of personality. Also, not to mention the Father Arnaldo Pangrazzi, religious Camilo, a member of the Associazione Italiana of Enneagramma.Este trabajo pretende mostrar un resumen de la revisión teórica que se realizó como parte de la investigación para optar el Grado de Magister en Psicología Clínica y de la Salud por la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Toma como eje el Eneagrama como una tipología de la personalidad, buscando aquí realizar una primera aproximación a los argumentos de que hicieron posible semejante enunciado, teniendo como referencia los aportes de George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, quien introdujo el Eneagrama al mundo occidental, y de Claudio Naranjo, psiquiatra chileno considerado uno de los pioneros de la psicología transpersonal, quien ha brindado sustento al Eneagrama como instrumento de la personalidad. Asimismo, sin dejar de mencionar al Padre Arnaldo Pangrazzi, religioso Camilo, miembro de la Asociación Italiana de Eneagrama