Anti-cancer efficiency of natural killer cells differentiated from human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and transfected with miRNA150

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of miR150 transfection on NK-like cells differentiated from adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs). Methods: NK-like cells were differentiated from AD-MSCs and activated by miR150 transfection. Transfected/non-transfected NK-like cells were characterized by immunohistochemical and RTPCR analyzes. Apoptotic efficiency of the transfected/non-transfected NK-like cells on pancreatic cancer cells PANC1 were determined by TUNEL and RT-PCR. Results: In miR150-transfected cells, the increased expression of NK cell-specific genes such as GZMB, KIR2DL2, CD16, CD56, NKG2D, NKp46 and increased immunoreactivity of NK cell-specific surface marker CD314 (NKG2D) were evident. TUNEL assays showed that NK-like cells with/without transfection induced apoptosis in PANC1 cells in the same manner. The decrease in oncogene expression and the increase in the tumor suppressor gene expression in PANC1 cells upon co-culture with NK-like cells differentiated from AD-MSCs were more prominent following miRNA150 transfection. Conclusion: It was shown in vitro that NK-like cells could be obtained by differentiation from AD-MSCs and their efficiency could be increased via miR150 transfection. The results are encouraging for further clinical studies in improvement of immunotherapeutic approaches for cancer therapy

A comparative study of mental health of medical students in two countries

Results from many studies indicate that throughout medical education students experience high levels of stress and depression. The aim of the current study was to assess and compare Bulgarian and Turkish medical students' levels of stress and depression. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 546 students (276 foreign students from Medical University – Sofia and 270 medical students from several medical universities in Ankara). The study instrument included basic socio-demographic questions, Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ-40 items) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Turkish medical students showed higher levels of stress and depression than foreign students from Bulgaria. We found that all types of stressors in medical students had a relationship with depression. Results of our study imply that medical students need access to psychological support throughout their education

Dynamic phase transition properties and hysteretic behavior of a ferrimagnetic core-shell nanoparticle in the presence of a time dependent magnetic field

We have presented dynamic phase transition features and stationary-state behavior of a ferrimagnetic small nanoparticle system with a core-shell structure. By means of detailed Monte Carlo simulations, a complete picture of the phase diagrams and magnetization profiles have been presented and the conditions for the occurrence of a compensation point $T_{comp}$ in the system have been investigated. According to N\'{e}el nomenclature, the magnetization curves of the particle have been found to obey P-type, N-type and Q-type classification schemes under certain conditions. Much effort has been devoted to investigation of hysteretic response of the particle and we observed the existence of triple hysteresis loop behavior which originates from the existence of a weak ferromagnetic core coupling $J_{c}/J_{sh}$, as well as a strong antiferromagnetic interface exchange interaction $J_{int}/J_{sh}$. Most of the calculations have been performed for a particle in the presence of oscillating fields of very high frequencies and high amplitudes in comparison with exchange interactions which resembles a magnetic system under the influence of ultrafast switching fields. Particular attention has also been paid on the influence of the particle size on the thermal and magnetic properties, as well as magnetic features such as coercivity, remanence and compensation temperature of the particle. We have found that in the presence of ultrafast switching fields, the particle may exhibit a dynamic phase transition from paramagnetic to a dynamically ordered phase with increasing ferromagnetic shell thickness.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

International Network for Capacity Building for the Control of Emerging Viral Vector-Borne Zoonotic Diseases: Arbo-Zoonet

Arboviruses are arthropod-borne viruses, which include West Nile fever virus (WNFV), a mosquito-borne virus, Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), a mosquito-borne virus, and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), a tick-borne virus. These arthropod-borne viruses can cause disease in different domestic and wild animals and in humans, posing a threat to public health because of their epidemic and zoonotic potential. In recent decades, the geographical distribution of these diseases has expanded. Outbreaks of WNF have already occurred in Europe, especially in the Mediterranean basin. Moreover, CCHF is endemic in many European countries and serious outbreaks have occurred, particularly in the Balkans, Turkey and Southern Federal Districts of Russia. In 2000, RVF was reported for the first time outside the African continent, with cases being confirmed in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. This spread was probably caused by ruminant trade and highlights that there is a threat of expansion of the virus into other parts of Asia and Europe. In the light of global warming and globalisation of trade and travel, public interest in emerging zoonotic diseases has increased. This is especially evident regarding the geographical spread of vector-borne diseases. A multi-disciplinary approach is now imperative, and groups need to collaborate in an integrated manner that includes vector control, vaccination programmes, improved therapy strategies, diagnostic tools and surveillance, public awareness, capacity building and improvement of infrastructure in endemic regions

Stationary State Solutions of a Bond Diluted Kinetic Ising Model: An Effective-Field Theory Analysis

We have examined the stationary state solutions of a bond diluted kinetic Ising model under a time dependent oscillating magnetic field within the effective-field theory (EFT) for a honeycomb lattice $(q=3)$. Time evolution of the system has been modeled with a formalism of master equation. The effects of the bond dilution, as well as the frequency $(\omega)$ and amplitude $(h/J)$ of the external field on the dynamic phase diagrams have been discussed in detail. We have found that the system exhibits the first order phase transition with a dynamic tricritical point (DTCP) at low temperature and high amplitude regions, in contrast to the previously published results for the pure case \cite{Ling}. Bond dilution process on the kinetic Ising model gives rise to a number of interesting and unusual phenomena such as reentrant phenomena and has a tendency to destruct the first-order transitions and the DTCP. Moreover, we have investigated the variation of the bond percolation threshold as functions of the amplitude and frequency of the oscillating field.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Dynamic phase transition of the Blume-Capel model in an oscillating magnetic field

We employ numerical simulations and finite-size scaling techniques to investigate the properties of the dynamic phase transition that is encountered in the Blume-Capel model subjected to a periodically oscillating magnetic field. We mainly focus on the study of the two-dimensional system for various values of the crystal-field coupling in the second-order transition regime. Our results indicate that the present non-equilibrium phase transition belongs to the universality class of the equilibrium Ising model and allow us to construct a dynamic phase diagram, in analogy to the equilibrium case, at least for the range of parameters considered. Finally, we present some complementary results for the three-dimensional model, where again the obtained estimates for the critical exponents fall into the universality class of the corresponding three-dimensional equilibrium Ising ferromagnet.Comment: 27 pages, 1 table, 15 figures, minor corrections (updated figures 3 and 4

Reorganisation of Brain Hubs across Altered States of Consciousness

Abstract: Patterns of functional interactions across distributed brain regions are suggested to provide a scaffold for the conscious processing of information, with marked topological alterations observed in loss of consciousness. However, establishing a firm link between macro-scale brain network organisation and conscious cognition requires direct investigations into neuropsychologically-relevant architectural modifications across systematic reductions in consciousness. Here we assessed both global and regional disturbances to brain graphs in a group of healthy participants across baseline resting state fMRI as well as two distinct levels of propofol-induced sedation. We found a persistent modular architecture, yet significant reorganisation of brain hubs that formed parts of a wider rich-club collective. Furthermore, the reduction in the strength of rich-club connectivity was significantly associated with the participants’ performance in a semantic judgment task, indicating the importance of this higher-order topological feature for conscious cognition. These results highlight a remarkable interplay between global and regional properties of brain functional interactions in supporting conscious cognition that is relevant to our understanding of clinical disorders of consciousness

The tree that hides the forest: Cryptic diversity and phylogenetic relationships in the Palaearctic vector Obsoletus/Scoticus Complex (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) at the European level

Background: Culicoides obsoletus is an abundant and widely distributed Holarctic biting midge species, involved in the transmission of bluetongue virus (BTV) and Schmallenberg virus (SBV) to wild and domestic ruminants. Females of this vector species are often reported jointly with two morphologically very close species, C. scoticus and C. montanus, forming the Obsoletus/Scoticus Complex. Recently, cryptic diversity within C. obsoletus was reported in geographically distant sites. Clear delineation of species and characterization of genetic variability is mandatory to revise their taxonomic status and assess the vector role of each taxonomic entity. Our objectives were to characterize and map the cryptic diversity within the Obsoletus/Scoticus Complex. Methods: Portion of the cox1 mitochondrial gene of 3763 individuals belonging to the Obsoletus/Scoticus Complex was sequenced. Populations from 20 countries along a Palaearctic Mediterranean transect covering Scandinavia to Canary islands (North to South) and Canary islands to Turkey (West to East) were included. Genetic diversity based on cox1 barcoding was supported by 16S rDNA mitochondrial gene sequences and a gene coding for ribosomal 28S rDNA. Species delimitation using a multi-marker methodology was used to revise the current taxonomic scheme of the Obsoletus/Scoticus Complex. Results: Our analysis showed the existence of three phylogenetic clades (C. obsoletus clade O2, C. obsoletus clade dark and one not yet named and identified) within C. obsoletus. These analyses also revealed two intra-specific clades within C. scoticus and raised questions about the taxonomic status of C. montanus. Conclusions: To our knowledge, our study provides the first genetic characterization of the Obsoletus/Scoticus Complex on a large geographical scale and allows a revision of the current taxonomic classification for an important group of vector species of livestock viruses in the Palaearctic region.[Figure not available: See fulltext.

Correction to: The tree that hides the forest : cryptic diversity and phylogenetic relationships in the Palaearctic vector Obsoletus/Scoticus complex (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) at the European level

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article