Specific Thiazolidinediones Inhibit Ovarian Cancer Cell Line Proliferation and Cause Cell Cycle Arrest in a PPARγ Independent Manner

Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists, such as the thiazolinediones (TZDs), have been studied for their potential use as cancer therapeutic agents. We investigated the effect of four TZDs--Rosiglitazone (Rosi), Ciglitazone (CGZ), Troglitazone (TGZ), and Pioglitazone (Pio)--on ovarian cancer cell proliferation, PPARγ expression and PPAR luciferase reporter activity. We explored whether TZDs act in a PPARγ dependent or independent manner by utilizing molecular approaches to inhibit or overexpress PPARγ activity.Treatment with CGZ or TGZ for 24 hours decreased proliferation in three ovarian cancer cell lines, Ovcar3, CaOv3, and Skov3, whereas Rosi and Pio had no effect. This decrease in Ovcar3 cell proliferation was due to a higher fraction of cells in the G(0)/G(1) stage of the cell cycle. CGZ and TGZ treatment increased apoptosis after 4 hours of treatment but not after 8 or 12 hours. Treatment with TGZ or CGZ increased PPARγ mRNA expression in Ovcar3 cells; however, protein levels were unchanged. Surprisingly, luciferase promoter assays revealed that none of the TZDs increased PPARγ activity. Overexpression of wild type PPARγ increased reporter activity. This was further augmented by TGZ, Rosi, and Pio indicating that these cells have the endogenous capacity to mediate PPARγ transactivation. To determine whether PPARγ mediates the TZD-induced decrease in proliferation, cells were treated with CGZ or TGZ in the absence or presence of a dominant negative (DN) or wild type overexpression PPARγ construct. Neither vector changed the TZD-mediated cell proliferation suggesting this effect of TZDs on ovarian cancer cells may be PPARγ independent.CGZ and TGZ cause a decrease in ovarian cancer cell proliferation that is PPARγ independent. This concept is supported by the finding that a DN or overexpression of the wild type PPARγ did not affect the changes in cell proliferation and cell cycle

An Innovative Air Conditioning System for Changeable Heat Loads

An Innovative Air Conditioning System for Changeable Heat Loads / E. Trushliakov, M. Radchenko, T. Bohdal, R. Radchenko, S. Kantor // Lecture notes in mechanical engineering. – 2020. – P. 616–625.Abstract. The efficiency of air conditioning (AC) systems depends on the operation of their air coolers at varying heat loads in response to current changeable climatic conditions. In general case, an overall heat load of any AC system comprises the unstable range, corresponding to ambient air processing with heat load fluctuations, and a comparatively stable part for subsequent air subcooling. Following from this approach, a rational design overall heat load is chosen to provide a maximum annular refrigeration capacity generation and divided into a comparatively stable basic part and a remaining part for ambient air precooling at changeable heat loads. The ambient air precooling mode with considerable heat load fluctuation needs load modulation, whereas the comparatively stable heat load range can be covered by operation at about nominal mode. According to modern trend in AC systems the load modulation is performed by varying refrigerant feed to air coolers in Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system. But with this the problem of inefficient operation of air coolers caused by dry-out of inner walls at the final stage of inside tube refrigerant evaporation followed by dropping the intensity of heat transfer remains unsolved. As alternative approach of the heat load modulation in AC systems there is a concept of incomplete refrigerant evaporation with overfilling air coils that leads to excluding a dry-out of inner surface of air coils and is realized through liquid refrigerant recirculation by injector (jet pump)

Zebrafish Endzone Regulates Neural Crest-Derived Chromatophore Differentiation and Morphology

The development of neural crest-derived pigment cells has been studied extensively as a model for cellular differentiation, disease and environmental adaptation. Neural crest-derived chromatophores in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) consist of three types: melanophores, xanthophores and iridiphores. We have identified the zebrafish mutant endzone (enz), that was isolated in a screen for mutants with neural crest development phenotypes, based on an abnormal melanophore pattern. We have found that although wild-type numbers of chromatophore precursors are generated in the first day of development and migrate normally in enz mutants, the numbers of all three chromatophore cell types that ultimately develop are reduced. Further, differentiated melanophores and xanthophores subsequently lose dendricity, and iridiphores are reduced in size. We demonstrate that enz function is required cell autonomously by melanophores and that the enz locus is located on chromosome 7. In addition, zebrafish enz appears to selectively regulate chromatophore development within the neural crest lineage since all other major derivatives develop normally. Our results suggest that enz is required relatively late in the development of all three embryonic chromatophore types and is normally necessary for terminal differentiation and the maintenance of cell size and morphology. Thus, although developmental regulation of different chromatophore sublineages in zebrafish is in part genetically distinct, enz provides an example of a common regulator of neural crest-derived chromatophore differentiation and morphology

EFFECT OF GLYCINE ON ISOLATED, PERFUSED RABBIT LIVERS FOLLOWING 48-HOUR PRESERVATION IN UNIVERSITY-OF-WISCONSIN SOLUTION WITHOUT GLUTATHIONE

Glycine has been shown to decrease membrane injury in isolated cells due to hypoxia or cold ischemia. The mechanisms of action of glycine are not known, but glycine may be useful in organ preservation solutions or in treating recipients of liver transplantation. In this study the isolated. perfused rabbit liver was used to measure how glycine affected liver performance after 48-h preservation in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution without added glutathione. UW solution is less effective for 48-h liver preservation when glutathione is omitted. Rabbit livers stored for 48 h without glutathione show a large increase in enzyme release (LDH and AST) from the liver and a reduction in bile production. The addition of 15 mM glycine to UW solution, in place of glutathione, did not improve bile production or reduce enzyme release. However, infusion of 10 mM glycine into the reperfused liver lowered LDH release significantly (from 2383 +/- 562 units/100 g to 1426 +/- 286 units/ 100 g) during the initial reperfusion of the 48-h preserved liver. Hepatamine, a parenteral nutrition solution containing glycine, as well as other amino acids, was also effective in lowering LDH release from the preserved liver. Although glycine reduced LDH release, it did not decrease the amount of AST released from the liver, nor did it improve bile production. Thus, we conclude that glycine, either in UW solution or given to the liver upon reperfusion, has no significantly beneficial effect as tested in this model. Further testing of glycine, however, should be conducted in an orthotopic transplant model in the rat or dog