16 research outputs found
Contemporary South African Urbanization Dynamics
Abstract The paper provides an overview of urbanization patterns and trends in the
current era in South Africa, focusing in particular on the key dynamics and driving
forces underlying migration and urbanization. It considers overall demographic trends
with regard to migration and urbanization, and points to some of the difficulties with
data, and with the analysis of trends and patterns. The paper explores the changing
rural context and dynamics, and some of the significant processes in this context:
large-scale displacement of black people off farms, the impact of land reform, and
conditions in the former homeland areas. Circular migration continues to be an
important way in which households in rural areas survive, but some are unable to
move, and are falling out of these networks. International migration—the consequence
of both conditions in the home country and the draw of the South African economy—
is another significant process fuelling mainly urban growth. The paper demonstrates
the importance of cities in terms of economic growth and employment, and thus their
attractiveness to migrants. Continuing migration to cities is of course a challenge fo
MT1-MMP Cleavage of the Antiangiogenic Proteoglycan Decorin: Role in Corneal Angiogenesis
Nanoparticle anchoring targets immune agonists to tumors enabling anti-cancer immunity without systemic toxicity
Immunostimulatory agents used in cancer treatment often elicit serious toxicities, limiting their clinical application. Here, the authors show that the use of liposomes to intravenously deliver surface-anchored IL-2 and anti-CD137 proteins enables anti-cancer immunity and reduces the toxic side effects
Inhibition of Lysyl Oxidases Improves Drug Diffusion and Increases Efficacy of Cytotoxic Treatment in 3D Tumor Models
Tumors are characterized by a rigid, highly cross-linked extracellular matrix (ECM), which impedes homogeneous drug distribution and potentially protects malignant cells from exposure to therapeutics. Lysyl oxidases are major contributors to tissue stiffness and the elevated expression of these enzymes observed in most cancers might influence drug distribution and efficacy. We examined the effect of lysyl oxidases on drug distribution and efficacy in 3D in vitro assay systems. In our experiments elevated lysyl oxidase activity was responsible for reduced drug diffusion under hypoxic conditions and consequently impaired cytotoxicity of various chemotherapeutics. This effect was only observed in 3D settings but not in 2D-cell culture, confirming that lysyl oxidases affect drug efficacy by modification of the ECM and do not confer a direct desensitizing effect. Both drug diffusion and efficacy were strongly enhanced by inhibition of lysyl oxidases. The results from the in vitro experiments correlated with tumor drug distribution in vivo, and predicted response to therapeutics in murine tumor models. Our results demonstrate that lysyl oxidase activity modulates the physical barrier function of ECM for small molecule drugs influencing their therapeutic efficacy. Targeting this process has the potential to significantly enhance therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of malignant diseases