Building Interactive Distributed Applications in C++ with The Programmers\u27 Playground

The objective of The Programmers\u27 Playground, described in this manual, is to provide a development environment and underlying support for end-user construction of distributed multimedia applications from reusable self-describing software components. Playground provides a set of software tools and a methodology for simplifying the design and construction of applications that interact with each other and with people in a distributed computer system. This manual explains how to write interactive distributed applications using Playground. The only background necessary to get started is an understanding of basic data structures and control constructs in C++. If you already know C++, then with the tools provided by Playground, you will be able to write distributed applications without learning a new programming language and without needing to learn about how communication works in a distributed system

Effects of nanosuspension and inclusion complex techniques on the in vitro protease inhibitory activity of naproxen

This study investigated the effects of nanosuspension and inclusion complex techniques on in vitro trypsin inhibitory activity of naproxen—a member of the propionic acid derivatives, which are a group of antipyretic, analgesic, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Nanosuspension and inclusion complex techniques were used to increase the solubility and anti-inflammatory efficacy of naproxen. The evaporative precipitation into aqueous solution (EPAS) technique and the kneading methods were used to prepare the nanosuspension and inclusion complex of naproxen, respectively. We also used an in vitro protease inhibitory assay to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of modified naproxen formulations. Physiochemical properties of modified naproxen formulations were analyzed using UV, IR spectra, and solubility studies. Beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex of naproxen was found to have a lower percentage of antitryptic activity than a pure nanosuspension of naproxen did. In conclusion, nanosuspension of naproxen has a greater anti-inflammatory effect than the other two tested formulations. This is because the nanosuspension formulation reduces the particle size of naproxen. Based on these results, the antitryptic activity of naproxen nanosuspension was noteworthy; therefore, this formulation can be used for the management of inflammatory disorders

Genetically diverse mouse platform to xenograft cancer cells

The lack of genetically diverse preclinical animal models in basic biology and efficacy testing has been cited as a potential cause of failure in clinical trials. We developed and characterized five diverse RAG1 null mouse strains as models that allow xenografts to grow. In these strains, we characterized the growth of breast cancer, leukemia and glioma cell lines. We found a wide range of growth characteristics that were far more dependent on strain than tumor type. For the breast cancer cell line, we characterized the spectrum of xenograft/tumor growth at structural, histological, cellular and molecular levels across each strain, and found that each strain captures unique structural components of the stroma. Furthermore, we showed that the increase in tumor-infiltrating myeloid CD45(+) cells and the amount of circulating cytokine IL-6 and chemokine KC (also known as CXCL1) is associated with a higher tumor size in different strains. This resource is available to study established human xenografts, as well as difficult-to-xenograft tumors and growth of hematopoietic stems cells, and to decipher the role of myeloid cells in the development of spontaneous cancers

Abstract 649: Biobank collaboration enables cancer modeling with high quality biospecimens and data

According to the National Cancer Institute, the lack of standardized, high-quality biospecimens is one of the most significant roadblocks to progress in cancer research. This shortage especially affects the generation of murine xenograft models of human cancers. Maine, with the third largest age-adjusted cancer incidence rate in the nation, has abundant cancer specimens potentially available for research. To meet the need for quality biospecimens, the biobanks at Eastern Maine Medical Center and Maine Medical Center have established a collaboration to jointly procure cancer specimens from Maine patients. Through this collaboration, the cooperating biobanks provide researchers with tissue, blood, bone marrow and other body fluid specimens from a broad spectrum of solid and hematologic cancers. The specimens from hematologic cancer patients have \u3e 90% viability and demonstrate anticipated biomarker composition by flow cytometry. The comparatively high frequency of engraftment of solid tumors in immunodeficient mice is also indicative of the quality of the samples procured by both repositories. Currently, the biobanks are providing fresh ovarian tumors to develop new xenograft models for poorly engrafting tumors in collaboration with the Jackson Laboratory\u27s Patient Derived Xenograft Program. Both biobanks are integrated with clinical and pathology practices and, therefore, the specimens are annotated with in-depth, de-identified patient datasets. With support from the Maine Cancer Foundation, the biobanks have created the Maine Cancer Biospecimen Portal (MBCP), a website that provides one-stop access to annotated cancer biospecimens and to consultation services for translational research study design. The collaboration of the EMMC and MMC biobanks provides a resource of high quality biospecimens for advancement of both in vivo and in vitro translational research such as mouse models of human cancers

Morphological evidence for selective modulation by serotonin of a subpopulation of dorsal horn cells which possess the neurokinin-1 receptor

Serotonin selectively depresses transmission of nociceptive information through the spinal dorsal horn but the mechanisms of this depression are poorly understood. In this study we report that serotonin-containing axons form basket-like clusters which are intimately woven around cell bodies and proximal dendrites of a subpopulation (≈ 50%) of laminae III/IV neurons which possess the neurokinin-1 receptor. Statistical analysis confirms that cells belonging to this subpopulation have significantly higher numbers of serotoninergic contacts on proximal dendrites when compared with the population of neurokinin-1 cells that are not associated with clusters (mean ± SD = 13 ± 5.8 and 5 ± 2.9, respectively). Neurokinin-1 cells in laminae III/IV project to regions of the brain which are involved in nociceptive processing and are likely to be activated predominantly by nociceptive input. The concentration of serotoninergic axons around proximal regions of some of these cells indicates that serotonin may have a powerful influence on transmission through this pathway. This type of arrangement could be a morphological correlate for at least part of the selective antinociceptive actions of serotonin