Tunicamycin induced inhibition of calpain 1 and 2 enzyme activity in ovarian cancer cells

Background: Tunicamycin (TN) is an antitumor agent and induced intracellular calcium levels in many cells, however its molecular mechanism is still needed to be explored. Calpeptin (Calp) is an inhibitor of both calpain 1 and 2 (CAPN-1/2) enzymes, and plays a fundamental role in tumor mechanism. In this study, the effects of TN and Calp were investigated on CAPN-1/2 enzyme activity in normal and ovarian cancer cells adhered to fibronectin. Methods: 24uM TN, 50uM Calp, and combined TN and Calp (TN+Calp) were applied for 1 and 12 hours to FN-bound (FN+) and non-FN-bound (FN-) normal human ovarian epithelial (IHOSE) and ovarian cancer (SKOV-3) cells. The activation of CAPN-1/2 was measured by the luminescent method and the significance of the results was analyzed with the t-test. Results: CAPN-1/2 enzyme activity (at 12 hour) was present in both cell lines, but the level of enzyme is higher in IHOSE cells compared to SKOV-3 cells. The results showed that 1 hour TN and TN+Calp applications stimulated CAPN-1/2 enzyme activity in IHOSE cells but did not show any stimulating effect in SKOV-3 cells. After 12-hour of treatment, the cells with TN, Calp or TN+Calp showed an inhibitory effect on CAPN-1/2 enzyme in both FN+IHOSE and SKOV-3 cells. At 12-hour TN+Calp administration was determined to be the most effective inhibitor in FN+ SKOV-3 since it inhibited CAPN1/2 activity statistically significantly more than both Calp and TN administrations. Conclusions: The effects of TN, Calp and TN+Calp applications on the CAPN-1/2 enzyme varied according to the cell type, normal or cancer cells, and whether the cell was bound to FN and the incubation period. 12 h administrations of TN, Calp or TN+Calp inhibited the CAPN-1/2 enzyme in both FN+ IHOSE and SKOV-3 cells

Molecular diversification and preliminary evaluations of some satsuma selections’ performance under mediterranean conditions

Satsuma (Citrus unshiu Marc.) has been cultivated for a long time in Turkey, and therefore variations for agronomical traits are likely among cultivated satsumas due to bud mutations. The objectives of this study were to determine variations for some selected agronomical traits and genetic markers among 21 new satsumas derived from selections. Fruit yield, fruit quality and molecular diversification of these clones were determined. The clones of 62 Adana, 4/2 Izmir and 11/1 Izmir indicated the highest yield. The fruits obtained from all clones were heavier than the control (Owari Satsuma). Molecular analysis, as assessed with 9 random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and 14 simple sequence repeats (SSR) primers, indicated that satsuma clones showed a narrow genetic base suggesting that the observed morphological polymorphism within the group must be associated with  somatic mutations which were not detected by these molecular markers.Key words: Mandarins, clonal selection, citrus

Microstructural, Biomechanical, and In Vitro Studies of Ti-Nb-Zr Alloys Fabricated by Powder Metallurgy

Data Availability Statement: The data underpinning this publication can be accessed from Brunel University London’s data repository, Brunelfigshare here under a CCBY licence: https://doi.org/10.17633/rd.brunel.5446813.v1. Non-digital data supporting this study are stored by the corresponding author at Brunel University. Details of how to request access to these data are provided here: https://doi.org/10.17633/rd.brunel.5446813.v1.Supplementary Materials: The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/ma16124240/s1, Figure S1: Plasmid–DNA interaction assay for Ti-Nb-Zr based alloys. The migration pattern of plasmid DNA incubated with Ti-Nb-Zr-based alloys and TiRG4 reference materials is shown in the figure. The bands are labeled as NC: Nicked circular and SC: Supercoiled; ddH2O served as a negative control.Copyright © 2023 by the authors. This study investigated the microstructures, mechanical performances, corrosion resistances, and in vitro studies of porous Ti-xNb-10Zr (x: 10 and 20; at. %) alloys. The alloys were fabricated by powder metallurgy with two categories of porosities, i.e., 21–25% and 50–56%, respectively. The space holder technique was employed to generate the high porosities. Microstructural analysis was performed by using various methods including scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and x-ray diffraction. Corrosion resistance was assessed via electrochemical polarisation tests, while mechanical behavior was determined by uniaxial compressive tests. In vitro studies, such as cell viability and proliferation, adhesion potential, and genotoxicity, were examined by performing an MTT assay, fibronectin adsorption, and plasmid-DNA interaction assay. Experimental results showed that the alloys had a dual-phase microstructure composed of finely dispersed acicular hcp α-Ti needles in the bcc β-Ti matrix. The ultimate compressive strength ranged from 1019 MPa to 767 MPa for alloys with 21–25% porosities and from 173 MPa to 78 MPa for alloys with 50–56% porosities. Noted that adding a space holder agent played a more critical role in the mechanical behaviors of the alloys compared to adding niobium. The pores were largely open and exhibited irregular shapes, with uniform size distribution, allowing for cell ingrowth. Histological analysis showed that the alloys studied met the biocompatibility criteria required for orthopaedic biomaterial use.EPSRC Future LiME Hub (EP/N007638/1); PhD studentship, the Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education

Assessing Microstructural, Biomechanical, and Biocompatible Properties of TiNb Alloys for Potential Use as Load-Bearing Implants

Data Availability Statement: The original contributions given in this work are included in the article, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.Titanium-Niobium (TiNb) alloys are commonly employed in a number of implantable devices, yet concerns exist regarding their use in implantology owing to the biomechanical mismatch between the implant and the host tissue. Therefore, to balance the mechanical performance of the load-bearing implant with bone, TiNb alloys with differing porosities were fabricated by powder metallurgy combined with spacer material. Microstructures and phase constituents were characterized with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mechanical properties were tested by uniaxial compression, and the corrosion performance was determined via a potentiodynamic polarization experiment. To evaluate a highly matched potential implant with the host, biocompatibilities such as cell viability and proliferation rate, fibronectin adsorption, plasmid-DNA interaction, and an SEM micrograph showing the cell morphology were examined in detail. The results showed that the alloys displayed open and closed pores with a uniform pore size and distribution, which allowed for cell adherence and other cellular activities. The alloys with low porosity displayed compressive strength between 618 MPa and 1295 MPa, while the alloys with high porosity showed significantly lower strength, ranging from 48 MPa to 331 MPa. The biological evaluation of the alloys demonstrated good cell attachment and proliferation rates.The EPSRC Future LiME Hub (EP/N007638/1); PhD studentship, the Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education

HIV therapy by a combination of broadly neutralizing antibodies in humanized mice

Human antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) can neutralize a broad range of viral isolates in vitro and protect non-human primates against infection. Previous work showed that antibodies exert selective pressure on the virus but escape variants emerge within a short period of time. However, these experiments were performed before the recent discovery of more potent anti-HIV-1 antibodies and their improvement by structure-based design. Here we re-examine passive antibody transfer as a therapeutic modality in HIV-1-infected humanized mice. Although HIV-1 can escape from antibody monotherapy, combinations of broadly neutralizing antibodies can effectively control HIV-1 infection and suppress viral load to levels below detection. Moreover, in contrast to antiretroviral therapy the longer half-life of antibodies led to control of viraemia for an average of 60 days after cessation of therapy. Thus, combinations of potent monoclonal antibodies can effectively control HIV-1 replication in humanized mice, and should be re-examined as a therapeutic modality in HIV-1-infected individuals

Supplemental LED lighting increases pansy growth [Iluminação suplementar por lâmpadas LED aumenta o crescimento da Viola cornuta]

Pansy (Viola cornuta) is a facultative long-day plant that flowers from October until March in Turkey. During the winter months, low light levels can limit plant growth and development. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) can provide supplemental lighting in greenhouses which produce same light intensity with less energy than conventional incandescent lighting. Light emitting diode technologies have enabled affordable and efficient light systems to be installed in greenhouses and plastic tunnels in the field. In this experiment we evaluated the effects of supplemental red-orange LED lightening on the growth and development of pansy cv. Blue Blotch grown in plastic tunnels. The energy, which LEDs are to consume, was provided through a solar panel system with the aim of drawing attention to the cleanliness of solar energy source. Five hours of supplement LED lighting was applied after dusk starting from November to February. Pansy growth and development parameters were compared with non-light supplied control plants. Supplemental LED lighting significantly increased plant biomass weight, flower number and leaves number at the rate of 52%, 72%, and 47%, respectively. Moreover, LED lighting increased plant growth rate (0.109 and 0.306 g of fresh weight), compared with the no light control. LED lighting, however, had no effect on length of stems, number of branches and the diameter of flowers. Thus, this study indicated that pansies are light limited during the winter months and supplemental LED lighting can significantly increase pansy growth and development. © 2015, Sociedade de Olericultura do Brasil. All rights reserved

Sales forecasting system for newspaper distribution companies in Turkey

Newspapers are like goods with a shelf life of one day and they have to be distributed daily basis to the sales points. A problem that most newspaper companies encounter daily is how to predict the right number of newspapers to print and distribute among distinct sales points. The aim is to predict newspaper demand as accurately as possible to meet customer need with minimum number of returns, missed sales and oversupply. This makes it necessary to develop a short-term forecasting system. The data taken from one of the largest distribution companies in Turkey is time dependent. Therefore, time series analysis is used to forecast newspaper circulation. In this paper, the newspaper sales system is examined for Turkey. Various types of forecasting techniques which are applicable to newspaper circulation planning are compared and a nonlinear approach for returns is applied