Establishment and characterization of two human breast carcinoma cell lines by spontaneous immortalization: Discordance between Estrogen, Progesterone and HER2/neu receptors of breast carcinoma tissues with derived cell lines

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women throughout the world. Therefore, established cell lines are widely used as in vitro experimental models in cancer research.Methods: Two continuous human breast cell lines, designated MBC1 and MBC2, were successfully established and characterized from invasive ductal breast carcinoma tissues of Malaysian patients. MBC1 and MBC2 have been characterized in terms of morphology analysis, population doubling time, clonogenic formation, wound healing assay, invasion assay, cell cycle, DNA profiling, fluorescence immunocytochemistry, Western blotting and karyotyping.Results: MBC1 and MBC2 exhibited adherent monolayer epithelial morphology at a passage number of 150. Receptor status of MBC1 and MBC2 show (ER+, PR+, HER2+) and (ER+, PR-, HER2+), respectively. These results are in discordance with histopathological studies of the tumoral tissues, which were triple negative and (ER-, PR-, HER2+) for MBC1 and MBC2, respectively. Both cell lines were capable of growing in soft agar culture, which suggests their metastatic potential. The MBC1 and MBC2 metaphase spreads showed an abnormal karyotype, including hyperdiploidy and complex rearrangements with modes of 52-58 chromosomes per cell.Conclusions: Loss or gain in secondary properties, deregulation and specific genetic changes possibly conferred receptor changes during the culturing of tumoral cells. Thus, we hypothesize that, among heterogenous tumoral cells, only a small minority of ER+/PR+/HER2+ and ER+/PR-/HER2+ cells with lower energy metabolism might survive and adjust easily to in vitro conditions. These cell lines will pave the way for new perspectives in genetic and biological investigations, drug resistance and chemotherapy studies, and would serve as prototype models in Malaysian breast carcinogenesis investigations. © 2012 Kamalidehghan et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Effect of electroless coating parameters and ceramic particle size on fabrication of a uniform Ni–P coating on SiC particles

The formation of a uniform nickel phosphorous (Ni–P) electroless (EL) coating on micronsized SiC particles was investigated in this study. Metal coated ceramic particles could be used in applications including as the fabrication of cast metal matrix composites.Such ceramic particles have a better wettability in molten metal. In this work, the effects of EL coating parameters, SiC particle size and morphology on the coating uniformity and mechanical bonding at the SiC/Ni–P interface were studied. The results indicated that etching treatment was very effective (especially for coarse powders) on the mechanical bonding at the interface. Theoptimum values of bath temperature and pH were determined to be 50+_2 0C and 8+_0.2, respectively. The best uniformity and mechanical bonding were obtained for SiC particles with average particle size of 80 μm (considered relatively as coarse powders in this study). The ball milling of SiC particles (with the average particle size of 80 μm) for 1 h led to the formation of a multi-modal particle size distribution which resulted in a non-uniform quality of particulate coating. The larger SiC particles after ball milling were more completely covered by the Ni–P coating compared to the smaller more fragmented particles. The smaller ceramic particles processed via Ni–P EL coating lead to formation of segregated clusters of Ni–P and therefore such ceramic particles contained many uncoated parts

Determination of heavy metal content of processed fruit products from Tehran's market using ICP- OES: A risk assessment study

Abstract In this study, the levels of Cd, Hg, Sn, Al, Pb and As of 72 samples (36 samples for fruits juices and 36 samples for fruits canned) of three different brands including of Peach, Orange, Cherry, and Pineapple (18 samples of each fruits) marketed in Tehran, Iran (2015) were evaluated using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) technique. Also, Probabilistic risk assessment (non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks) was estimated by models include target hazard quotient (THQ) and cancer risk (CR) in the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) model. However, all samples were contaminated with the heavy metals investigated, most of them not surpassed established standards. The range of concentration for Al, Sn, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb as average in fruit juices were reported as 340.62 (65.17–1039.2), 72.33 (49.76–119.4), 3.76 (1.137–18.36), 2.12 (0.89–3.44), 0.351 and 40.86 (27.87–66.1) μg/kg, respectively. The level of heavy metals measured in different kinds of fruit juices was ranked as Al > Sn > Pb > As > Cd > Hg, and for fruits canned this rank was Pb > Al > Sn > As > Cd > Hg. The range of concentration for Al, Sn, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in fruits canned were reported as 361.23 (43.15–1121.2), 101.42 (71.45–141.61), 3.92 (1.279–19.50), 2.78 (1.09–5.56), 0.35 and 690.54 (470.56–910.14) μg/kg, respectively. The lead (Pb) concentration in 97.22% (35 out of 36 samples) of fruit juices samples surpassed Codex limit (0.05 mg/kg) and in all samples of FC was lower than the legal limit of Codex limit (1 mg/kg). All of the samples had Tin (Sn) lower than the legal limit of Codex (fruit juices 100 mg/kg and FC 250 mg/kg). The MCS indicated that the rank order of heavy metals in both adults and children based on THQ was Al > Sn > As > Pb > Cd > Hg. The THQ of Al and Sn in the FJ and FC, for both adults, and children, was considerably higher than 1 value. Also, CR of As in both adults and children were higher than 1E-6 value. Although the mean concentration of heavy metal in the FJ and FC was lower than the standard limit, the MCS indicated that adults and children are at considerable non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. Keywords: Heavy metals Fruits juice Health risk assessment Monte Carlo simulation Fruit canned Food safety ICPOES

Mechanical behavior and optimization of multidirectional laminate specimens under delamination by bending

Delamination in the multidirectional laminates under bending loading is often difficult to characterize because of problems involved by excessive deformations ahead of the crack tip and by non-linearities due to large displacements and transverse microcracking. In fact, these microcracks appear in the most strained plies especially for thin materials. Consequently, the concept of linear elastic fracture mechanic cannot be used in order to characterize delamination. Thus, the objective of this work is to highlight, experimentally and analytically these problems on DCB specimens, then to carry out optimization of thickness which makes it possible to avoid the appearance of transverse cracking before starting of delamination. The material used is E-glass/epoxy multidirectional laminates. The results of optimization obtained are in good agreement with the experimental results.При навантаженні згином багатовимірних ламінатів має місце деламінація. Її опис є досить важким, оскільки у вістрі тріщини присутні великі деформації та відмічаються нелінійні ефекти, що зумовлені значними переміщеннями і утворенням поперечних мікротріщин. Останні з’являються у найбільш навантажених шарах, особливо в тонких ламінатах. Експериментально досліджено вищезгадані особливості на зразках у вигляді консольної балки та виконано оптимізацію товщини багатошарового зразка, за якої деламінація починаєтьсядо утворення поперечних мікротріщин у найбільш навантажених шарах. Об’єктом дослідження служив склоепоксидний зміцнений ламінат. Отримані результати оптимізації товщини зразка добре узгоджуються з експериментальними даними.При изгибном нагружении многомерных ламинатов имеет место деламинация, описание которой весьма затруднительно ввиду наличия больших деформаций у вершины трещины и различных нелинейных эффектов, связанных со значительными перемещениями и образованием поперечных микротрещин. Последние появляются в наиболее нагруженных слоях, особенно в тонких ламинатах. Экспериментально исследованы вышеуказанные особенности на образцах в виде консольной балки и выполнена оптимизация толщины многослойного образца, при которой деламинация начинается до образования поперечных микротрещин в наиболее нагруженных слоях. Объектом исследования служил стеклоэпоксидный упрочненный ламинат. Полученные результаты оптимизации толщины образцов хорошо согласуются с экспериментальными данными

Prediction of the critical stress to crack initiation associated to the investigation of fatigue small crack

Fatigue design is of vital importance to avoid fatigue small crack growth in engineering structures. This study shows that the critical fatigue design stress can be defined below the usual endurance limit, considered inrules and codes. The material constitutive behaviour is using linear isotropic elasticity.Lassere and Pallin-Luc [1-2] use the elastic energy and over-energy under uniaxial load (tension and rotating bending). The authors deduce the influencing critical stress value corresponding to sigma star. It’s a linear approach.We propose an over-energy under dissymmetrical rotating bending and expressed in the ellipse axes. An asymptotic approach is transformed the over-energy in polynomial function of critical stress. Unknown depend on experimental service conditions, endurance limit of tension and rotating bending of specimen. The fatigue database of 30NCD16 steel studied by Froustey and Dubar [3-13] is used. Critical stresses are evaluated (Fig. 2).The research done by Manning and all [4] has shown the small crack effect to be as large as 0.3 mm. Small crack and critical stress are illustrated here in as resulting from pure bending approach expressed by Bazant law [7]. It’s reproduces well the Kitagawa diagram [6] (Fig. 3). When the short cracks are hidden in the material, we shows that the number  cycles during small crack growth be significantly higher (Fig. 4) than the corresponding cycles of large cracks growth (ONI’s fatigue test) for the same physically crack size. Indeed its evolution can be blocked by a microstructural barrier (grain boundary, for example). Hence, the considerations of small crack growth are strongly influencing the fatigue life of a component or structure

Absence of Spontaneous Magnetic Fields Due to Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in Bulk Superconducting UTe2

We have investigated the low-temperature local magnetic properties in the bulk of molten salt-flux (MSF) grown single crystals of the candidate odd-parity superconductor UTe2 by zero-field muon spin relaxation (muSR). In contrast to previous muSR studies of UTe2 single crystals grown by a chemical vapour transport (CVT) method, we find no evidence of magnetic clusters or electronic moments fluctuating slow enough to cause a discernible relaxation of the zero-field muSR asymmetry spectrum. Consequently, our measurements on MSF-grown single crystals rule out the generation of spontaneous magnetic fields in the bulk that would occur near impurities or lattice defects if the superconducting state of UTe2 breaks time-reversal symmetry. This result suggests UTe2 is characterized by a single-component superconducting order parameter.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified with iron oxide and silver nanoparticles (MWCNT-Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf>/Ag) as a novel adsorbent for determining PAEs in carbonated soft drinks using magnetic SPE-GC/MS method

The synthesis of compounds with an excellent adsorption capability plays an essential role to remove contaminants such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs) with potential carcinogenic characteristics from different food products. In this context, for the first time, a novel adsorbent (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) was synthesized by using iron (magnetic agent), and silver (catalytic and surface enhancer agent) to further approach in a magnetic SPE-GC/MS method for determining of PAEs in carbonated soft drink samples. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of MSPE-GC/MS were determined in six PAEs as a range of 10.8–22.5 and 36–75 ng/L, respectively. Also, the calibration curves of PAEs were linear (R2 = 0.9981–0.9995) over the concentration level of 10.000 ng/L and the recoveries of the six PAEs were ranging from 96.60% to 109.22% with the RSDs less than 8%. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and transmission electron microscopy analyses (TEM) were utilized to characterize the produced MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag. Based on the findings, the surface of MWCNT is relatively uniform, which became coarser after loading with Fe3O4/Ag particles. Also, EDX spectrum showed the carbon (C), iron (Fe), oxygen (O), Ag and copper (Cu) are the main components of synthesized MWCNTs-Fe3O4/Ag. The successful adhesion of Fe3O4/Ag on the texture of MWCNTs using a co-precipitation method was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR assays. Additionally, excellent crystallinity and clear lattice nanocrystals fringes of prepared MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag was demonstrated by TEM analysis. Based on the obtained VSM images, the prepared sorbent (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) has the good magnetic performance for magnetic separation and extraction processes. It was concluded that the synthesized MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag could be used as an efficient adsorbent for determining contaminants such as PAEs in different beverage samples. © 201

Catalytic decomposition of 2-chlorophenol using an ultrasonic-assisted Fe3O4-TiO2@MWCNT system: Influence factors, pathway and mechanism study.

As a reusable sonocatalyst, magnetically separable Fe3O4-TiO2@MWCNT (FMT) was synthesized by an ultrasound-assisted wet impregnation method and was evaluated in the removal of 2-chlorophenol (2CP). Physical and chemical properties of the catalyst composite materials were investigated by all catalysts were systematically characterized using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), and N2-physisorption. The efficiency and kinetics of 2CP removal by FMT-assisted sonocatalysis (FMT-US) was systematically investigated under various operational parameters i.e. pH, FMT and 2CP concentration, temperature and ultrasonic power. The results indicated that 0.4gL-1 FMT dosage, pH 5, temperature of 35°C as well as 50 w ultrasound power are the most favorable conditions for the degradation of the 2CP. Furthermore, both of the superoxide and hydroxyl radicals were produced in the reaction, however, superoxide radicals were assumed to be the dominating reactive species for the 2CP degradation, according to the scavenging tests and electron paramagnetic resonance tests. Moreover, the FMT catalyst exhibited a high reusability and stability in the US/FMT system during the five repetitive experiments. The intermediate products were identified by GC-MS, thereby a possible degradation pathway is proposed. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and corresponding total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiencies were 64.9% and 56.7%, respectively. Finally, toxicity tests showed that the toxicity of the solution increased during the first 5min and then decreased significantly with the progress of the oxidation. The mechanisms of ultrasound irritation enhanced FMT activation were also proposed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Environmental impacts comparison between on-site vs. prefabricated just-in-time (prefab-JIT) rebar supply in construction projects

In the on-site rebar delivery system, as the common method of rebar supply in the construction industry, reinforced steel bars are delivered in large batches from supplier's facilities through contractor's warehouse to the construction site. Rebars are then fabricated on-site and installed after assembly. In the new delivery system, called prefabrication Just-In-Time (prefab-JIT) system, the off-site cut and bend along with frequent rebar delivery to the site are applied in order to improve the process and increase its efficiency. The main objective of this paper is to assess and compare the environmental impacts resulting from the air emissions associated with the two rebar delivery systems in a case study construction project. Environmental impact categories of interest include global warming, acidification, eutrophication, and smog formation. A process-based cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment methodology is applied to perform the analysis. The results show that the prefab-JIT rebar delivery system causes less contribution to all mentioned environmental impact categories compared with a traditional on-site delivery system

Surgical Skill Assessment on In-Vivo Clinical Data via the Clearness of Operating Field

Surgical skill assessment is important for surgery training and quality control. Prior works on this task largely focus on basic surgical tasks such as suturing and knot tying performed in simulation settings. In contrast, surgical skill assessment is studied in this paper on a real clinical dataset, which consists of fifty-seven in-vivo laparoscopic surgeries and corresponding skill scores annotated by six surgeons. From analyses on this dataset, the clearness of operating field (COF) is identified as a good proxy for overall surgical skills, given its strong correlation with overall skills and high inter-annotator consistency. Then an objective and automated framework based on neural network is proposed to predict surgical skills through the proxy of COF. The neural network is jointly trained with a supervised regression loss and an unsupervised rank loss. In experiments, the proposed method achieves 0.55 Spearman's correlation with the ground truth of overall technical skill, which is even comparable with the human performance of junior surgeons.Comment: MICCAI 201