MiR-205-5p inhibition by locked nucleic acids impairs metastatic potential of breast cancer cells

Mir-205 plays an important role in epithelial biogenesis and in mammary gland development but its role in cancer still remains controversial depending on the specific cellular context and target genes. We have previously reported that miR-205-5p is upregulated in breast cancer stem cells targeting ERBB pathway and leading to targeted therapy resistance. Here we show that miR-205-5p regulates tumorigenic properties of breast cancer cells, as well as epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Silencing this miRNA in breast cancer results in reduced tumor growth and metastatic spreading in mouse models. Moreover, we show that miR-205-5p knock-down can be obtained with the use of specific locked nucleic acids oligonucleotides in vivo suggesting a future potential use of this approach in therapy

Numerical simulations and experimental results of the deployment of thin-walled bistable composite booms

For advanced space missions, meeting the concurrent requirements of increasing payload size while minimizing spacecraft volume can be achieved through the utilization of deployable structures. In a previous study, we conducted a characterization of a thin/walled boom in terms of its interaction between attitude and elastic dynamics when fully deployed. In this current work, we have developed a numerical model to analyze the critical phase of the deployment process. We compared the model's predictions with theoretical expectations and experimental data, and found a strong agreement between them. Additionally, we investigated the effects of bistability on the deployment process by conducting experiments on both a bistable and a monostable boom. Lastly, we performed deployment tests on a free-floating platform, which emulates a small satellite, to quantitatively measure the attitude perturbations caused by the rapid deployment of the boom

Modeling of Moisture Diffusion in Carbon Braided Composites

In this study, we develop a methodology based on finite element analysis to predict the weight gain of carbon braided composite materials exposed to moisture. The analysis was based on the analogy between thermal conduction and diffusion processes, which allowed for a commercial code for finite element analysis to be used. A detailed finite element model using a repetitive unit cell (RUC) was developed both for bundle and carbon braided composites. Conditioning tests were performed to estimate the diffusivity of both the resin and composite. When comparing numerical and experimental results, it was observed that the procedure introduces an average error of 20% and a maximum error of 31% if the RUC is assumed to be isotropic. On the other hand, the average error does not exceed 10% and the maximum error is less than 20% when the material is considered as orthotropic. The procedure is independent of the particular fiber architecture and can be extended to other composites

RIFT process analysis for the production of green composites in flax fibers and bio-based epoxy resin

In this work, a dual objective is carried out on composite materials in flax fiber and bio-based epoxy resin: to determine the process parameters and to develop a numerical model for highlighting the potential of and the limits in the production of “green” laminates through a RIFT process (Resin Infusion under Flexible Tool). For these reasons, compressibility tests were performed in order to evaluate the behavior of commercial flax woven under the vacuum bag. Subsequently, permeability tests were performed in order to evaluate the permeability curves necessary for the numerical study of the infusion process. For the numerical analyses, the commercial software PAM-RTM was adopted and validated. In this work, vaseline oil was used as the injected resin for the validation, and a bio-based epoxy commercial system was used for the study of the infusion process in a simple case study. The results were compared with a petroleum-based epoxy system typically used for infusion processes, showing the potentiality and the critical use of bio-based resins for infusion processes

The impact of time interval between hepatic resection and liver transplantation on clinical outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatic resection (HR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may require secondary liver transplantation (SLT). However, a previous HR is supposed to worsen post-SLT outcomes. Data of patients treated by SLT between 2000 and 2018 at two tertiary referral centers were analyzed. The primary outcome of the study was to analyze the impact of HR on post-LT complications. A Comprehensive Complication Index ≥ 29.6 was chosen as cutoff. The secondary outcome was HCC-re-lated death by means of competing-risk regression analysis. In the study period, 140 patients were included. Patients were transplanted in a median of 23 months after HR (IQR 14–41). Among all the features analyzed regarding the prior HR, only time interval between HR and SLT (time HR-SLT) was an independent predictor of severe complications after LT (OR = 0.98, p < 0.001). According to fractional polynomial regression, the probability of severe complications increased up to 15 months after HR (43%), then slowly decreased over time (OR = 0.88, p < 0.001). There was no significant association between HCC-related death and time HR-SLT at the multivariable competing risks regression model (SHR, 1.06; 95% CI: 0.69–1.62, p = 0.796). This study showed that time HR-SLT was key in predicting complications after LT, without affecting HCC-related death