American College of Rheumatology Provisional Criteria for Clinically Relevant Improvement in Children and Adolescents With Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

10.1002/acr.23834ARTHRITIS CARE & RESEARCH715579-59

Development of New Models to Study Human Her-2 Positive Breast Cancer

To study the evolution of human Her-2 positive breast cancer, we evaluated a model of three dimensional spheroid co-culture using H2N human breast cancer cells that express high amounts of Her-2 protein, with the Her-2 negative MDA-231 cells. Human HCC1419, which can form compact spheroids, were used as controls. In tissue culture plates, H2N cells were found to have a doubling rate of about 48 hours, compared to around 144 hours for MDA231. Since H2N cells were engineered to express a fluorescent protein, we could note that these cells did not immediately overgrow the non-fluorescent MDA231 cells in a mixed three dimensional mass – suggesting that this model could allow for the study of long term evolution of specific subpopulation of tumor cells within a heterogeneous tumor mass. When the breast cancer cells were grown on tissue culture plastic, we evaluated a drug screen of newly synthesized potential anticancer compounds. One compound, CLM29 was observed to inhibit the growth of all three breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, 25 micromolar treatment of H2N or of MDA231, but not of HCC1419 cells, lead over 4 days to the formation of cellular neurite-like extensive protrusions, suggesting the activation of a differentiation of breast cancer cells. Our results show the effective use of three different human breast cancer cell lines to develop models to follow the evolution of specific subtypes of breast cancer within a tumor mass, and to test new compounds with potential anti-breast cancer activity

Assessment of Angiogenesis and Cell Survivability of an Inkjet Bioprinted Biological Implant in an Animal Model

The rapidly growing field of tissue engineering hopes to soon address the shortage of transplantable tissues, allowing for precise control and fabrication that could be made for each specific patient. The protocols currently in place to print large-scale tissues have yet to address the main challenge of nutritional deficiencies in the central areas of the engineered tissue, causing necrosis deep within and rendering it ineffective. Bioprinted microvasculature has been proposed to encourage angiogenesis and facilitate the mobility of oxygen and nutrients throughout the engineered tissue. An implant made via an inkjet printing process containing human microvascular endothelial cells was placed in both B17-SCID and NSG-SGM3 animal models to determine the rate of angiogenesis and degree of cell survival. The implantable tissues were made using a combination of alginate and gelatin type B; all implants were printed via previously published procedures using a modified HP inkjet printer. Histopathological results show a dramatic increase in the average microvasculature formation for mice that received the printed constructs within the implant area when compared to the manual and control implants, indicating inkjet bioprinting technology can be effectively used for vascularization of engineered tissues

The complete mitochondrial and plastid genomes of the invasive marine red alga Caulacanthus okamurae (Caulacanthaceae, Rhodophyta) from Moss Landing, California, USA

Caulacanthus okamurae is an invasive red alga that forms extensive mats in sheltered marine habitats around the world. To determine its genomic structure and genetic relationship to native and other non-native populations of C. okamurae, high-throughput sequencing analysis was performed on an introduced specimen from Bennett Slough, Moss Landing, California, USA. Assembly of 23,146,595 filtered 150 bp paired-end Illumina sequencing reads yielded its complete mitogenome (GenBank accession MT193839) and plastid genome (GenBank accession MT193838). The mitogenome is 25,995 bp in length and contains 50 genes. The plastid genome is 173,516 bp and contains 234 genes. Comparison of the organellar chromosomes to other Gigartinales revealed a high-level of gene synteny. BLAST analysis of marker sequences (rbcL, cox1, cox2) of C. okamurae from Moss Landing identified four identical DNA sequences: one from a specimen from a native population of C. okamurae from South Korea and three from specimens representing invasive populations from France, Spain, and the USA. These genetic results confirm the presence of C. okamurae in central California, USA, and represent the first complete mitogenome and plastid genome from the Caulacanthaceae

The complete mitochondrial and plastid genomes of Corallina chilensis (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta) from Tomales Bay, California, USA

Genomic analysis of the marine alga Corallina chilensis from Tomales Bay, California, USA, resulted in the assembly of its complete mitogenome (GenBank accession number MK598844) and plastid genome (GenBank MK598845). The mitogenome is 25,895 bp in length and contains 50 genes. The plastid genome is 178,350 bp and contains 233 genes. The organellar genomes share a high-level of gene synteny to other Corallinales. Comparison of rbcL and cox1 gene sequences of C. chilensis from Tomales Bay reveals it is identical to three specimens from British Columbia, Canada and very similar to a specimen of C. chilensis from southern California. These genetic data confirm that C. chilensis is distributed in Pacific North America

Demonstration of ignition radiation temperatures in indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion hohlraums

We demonstrate the hohlraum radiation temperature and symmetry required for ignition-scale inertial confinement fusion capsule implosions. Cryogenic gas-filled hohlraums with 2.2 mm-diameter capsules are heated with unprecedented laser energies of 1.2 MJ delivered by 192 ultraviolet laser beams on the National Ignition Facility. Laser backscatter measurements show that these hohlraums absorb 87% to 91% of the incident laser power resulting in peak radiation temperatures of TRAD=300  eV and a symmetric implosion to a 100  μm diameter hot core