Kinetics of the Levels of Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Serum and Pleural Fluid after Major Lung Resection for Lung Cancer

Some pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and angiogenesis-related factors play important roles in the inflammatory response after surgery. To study their kinetics and mutual relationships after major lung resection for lung cancer, concentrations of interleukin (IL)-6, -8 and -10 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured in serum and pleural fluid. Venous blood and pleural fluid samples were collected before and up until 5 days after surgery from 10 patients with lung cancer, treated by standard lobectomy at Tottori University Hospital between 1997 and 1999. Cytokine levels after surgery were significantly higher than control levels before surgery in serum and pleural fluid. In pleural fluid, cytokines and VEGF increased after surgery 10 to 100 times than in serum. IL-6 and -10 reached their peaks in pleural fluid later than in serum, and then gradually decreased. Serum IL-8 reached its peak at 3 h, decreased until day 2 and then remained stable. Serum VEGF decreased until 3 h, and then showed little change. Pleural fluid IL-8 and VEGF reached their peaks at 3 or 6 h, decreased until day 2 and then increased up to day 5. The amount of cytokines produced per hour in drainage pleural fluid showed nearly the same kinetics as serum cytokines. Serum cytokines and VEGF showed higher coefficient values to the hourly production in pleural fluid than to the pleural fluid levels. During wound healing, IL-8 acted as a pro-inflammatory cytokine in the early phase, but as an angiogenic factor like VEGF in the late proliferative phase. The cytokine production per hour in pleural fluid is believed to be a useful marker of cytokine levels for evaluating surgical trauma after major lung resection for lung cancer

Ações estratégicas para o desenvolvimento de negócios em uma instituição de ensino privada: um relato de experiência de gestãoStrategic actions for business development in a private educational institution: a management experience report

O texto relata a ação intervencionista em uma instituição de ensino privada com o objetivo geral de formular e implementar estratégias para ampliar a eficácia de gestão em busca do desenvolvimento de negócios. Além das forças competitivas tradicionais as instituições educacionais privadas sofreram os efeitos da pandemia de COVID-19 no mercado. A análise das condições estruturais e das demandas de mercado possibilitou identificar aspectos que põem em risco sua sustentabilidade econômica. A partir da análise e diagnóstico da situação-problema, a intervenção proposta consiste em ações aplicadas à captação e redução da evasão de alunos e da inadimplência, por meio de adequações estruturais e, principalmente, da revisão do posicionamento estratégico. O projeto resultou em benefícios objetivos, ou mensuráveis, e subjetivos, que consistem em percepções de mudança comportamental. Dentre os objetivos, encontram-se o aumento da procura e concretização de matrículas. Quanto aos resultados não mensuráveis, observam-se melhorias perceptíveis na eficácia de gestão, favorecendo a competitividade do negócio. Os impactos já concretizados somam-se ao potencial de favorecimento da organização sob o ponto de vista (i) econômico; (ii) reputacional e (iii) comportamental. O relato da experiência, que resgata modelos propostos no ambiente acadêmico aplicados na prática, potencializa a expansão do conhecimento e evolução da tecnologia de gestão, por ser replicável em situações semelhantes, para criação de valor via oferta de soluções aos consumidores atendidos e à comunidade em geral, com satisfação de suas necessidades, ganhos em qualidade e geração de empregos

Charge disproportionation in the spin-liquid candidate κ − (ET)2Cu2(CN)3 at 6 K revealed by 63Cu NQR measurements

The spin-liquid candidate κ−(ET)2Cu2(CN)3 [ET: bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene] does not exhibit magnetic ordering down to a very low temperature, but shows a mysterious anomaly at 6 K. The origin of the so-called 6-K anomaly is still under debate. We carried out nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) measurements on the copper sites of the insulating layers, which are sensitive to the charge dynamics unlike conventional spin-1/2 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The main finding of this Rapid Communication is that the observation of a sharp peak behavior in the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate T−11 of 63Cu NQR at 6 K while T−11 of both 13C and 1H NMR show no clear anomaly. This behavior can be understood as a second-order phase transition related to charge disproportionation in the ET layers

Soft x-ray irradiation induced metallization of layered TiNCl

We have performed soft x-ray spectroscopy in order to study the photoirradiation time dependence of the valence band structure and chemical states of layered transition metal nitride chloride TiNCl. Under the soft x-ray irradiation, the intensities of the states near the Fermi level (EF) and the Ti3+ component increased, while the Cl 2p intensity decreased. Ti 2p–3d resonance photoemission spectroscopy confirmed a distinctive Fermi edge with Ti 3d character. These results indicate the photo-induced metallization originates from deintercalation due to Cl desorption, and thus provide a new carrier doping method that controls the conducting properties of TiNCl

Regulation of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor expression by phorbol ester in a human hepatoma-derived cell line

AbstractHeparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a recently identified potent mitogen for smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts. HB-EGF has been shown to be an EGF receptor ligand, and also to stimulate epithelial cell growth. A human hepatoma-derived cell line, Mahlavu, was analyzed for the production of HB-EGF mRNA and active HB-EGF protein. It was found that the cell line synthesized very low or undetectable basal level of HB-EGF mRNA. However, the addition of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) led to a rapid and transient rise in HB-EGF mRNA level. HB-EGF in Mahlavu cells appears to be regulated by a protein kinase C (PKC) pathway, since PKC inhibitors, H7, staurosporin, and calphostin C, abrogated the induction of HB-EGF mRNA by TPA. Unlike vascular smooth muscle cells, induction of HB-EGF gene transcription by TPA was blocked completely by incubation with cycloheximide, suggesting that protein synthesis may be a prerequisite for HB-EGF gene transcription in Mahlavu cells. Mahlavu cells were also found to release a bioactive HB-EGF-like protein into conditioned medium which stimulates DNA synthesis in EP170.7 cells. This activity was neutralized by an anti-HB-EGF antibody. These results indicate that HB-EGF gene transcription is regulated via a PKC pathway, resulting in secretion of active HB-EGF into the culture medium of hepatoma-derived Mahlavu cells