159 research outputs found
Cranberries and Cancer: An Update of Preclinical Studies Evaluating the Cancer Inhibitory Potential of Cranberry and Cranberry Derived Constituents
Cranberries are rich in bioactive constituents reported to influence a variety of health benefits, ranging from improved immune function and decreased infections to reduced cardiovascular disease and more recently cancer inhibition. A review of cranberry research targeting cancer revealed positive effects of cranberries or cranberry derived constituents against 17 different cancers utilizing a variety of in vitro techniques, whereas in vivo studies supported the inhibitory action of cranberries toward cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, bladder, prostate, glioblastoma and lymphoma. Mechanisms of cranberry-linked cancer inhibition include cellular death induction via apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy; reduction of cellular proliferation; alterations in reactive oxygen species; and modification of cytokine and signal transduction pathways. Given the emerging positive preclinical effects of cranberries, future clinical directions targeting cancer or premalignancy in high risk cohorts should be considered
Decomposition driven interface evolution for layers of binary mixtures: I. Model derivation and stratified base states
A dynamical model is proposed to describe the coupled decomposition and
profile evolution of a free surface film of a binary mixture. An example is a
thin film of a polymer blend on a solid substrate undergoing simultaneous phase
separation and dewetting. The model is based on model-H describing the coupled
transport of the mass of one component (convective Cahn-Hilliard equation) and
momentum (Navier-Stokes-Korteweg equations) supplemented by appropriate
boundary conditions at the solid substrate and the free surface.
General transport equations are derived using phenomenological
non-equilibrium thermodynamics for a general non-isothermal setting taking into
account Soret and Dufour effects and interfacial viscosity for the internal
diffuse interface between the two components. Focusing on an isothermal setting
the resulting model is compared to literature results and its base states
corresponding to homogeneous or vertically stratified flat layers are analysed.Comment: Submitted to Physics of Fluid
Determination of the deformation potentials of GaAs0.80P0.20
3 páginas, 2 figuras, 2 tablas.Deformation potentials can be determined by measuring the variation of the energy of the electronic transitions with strain. In this work, the hydrostatic and shear potentials of the band‐gap electronic transition (E0) and the transitions along the 〈111〉 direction (E1) of GaAs1−xPx, x≊0.20, have been determined by electroreflectance characterization of GaAs1−xPx layers with different levels of strain.Project 6854 “BLES” (Buffer Layer Engineering in Semiconductors)
and the Spanish CICYT under Project No.
MAT92-0262 for their support.Peer reviewe
Cranberry Polyphenols in Esophageal Cancer Inhibition: New Insights
Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a cancer characterized by rapidly rising incidence and poor survival, resulting in the need for new prevention and treatment options. We utilized two cranberry polyphenol extracts, one proanthocyanidin enriched (C-PAC) and a combination of anthocyanins, flavonoids, and glycosides (AFG) to assess inhibitory mechanisms utilizing premalignant Barrett’s esophagus (BE) and EAC derived cell lines. We employed reverse phase protein arrays (RPPA) and Western blots to examine cancer-associated pathways and specific signaling cascades modulated by C-PAC or AFG. Viability results show that C-PAC is more potent than AFG at inducing cell death in BE and EAC cell lines. Based on the RPPA results, C-PAC significantly modulated 37 and 69 proteins in JH-EsoAd1 (JHAD1) and OE19 EAC cells, respectively. AFG treatment significantly altered 49 proteins in both JHAD1 and OE19 cells. Bioinformatic analysis of RPPA results revealed many previously unidentified pathways as modulated by cranberry polyphenols including NOTCH signaling, immune response, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Collectively, these results provide new insight regarding mechanisms by which cranberry polyphenols exert cancer inhibitory effects targeting EAC, with implications for potential use of cranberry constituents as cancer preventive agents
Spectral properties of heterostructures containing half-metallic ferromagnets in the presence of local many-body correlations
In this work, we investigate models for bulk, bi- and multilayers containing
half-metallic ferromagnets (HMFs), at zero and at finite temperature, in order
to elucidate the effects of strong electronic correlations on the spectral
properties (density of states). Our focus is on the evolution of the
finite-temperature many-body induced tails in the half-metallic gap. To this
end, the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) is employed. For the bulk, a Bethe
lattice model is solved using a matrix product states based impurity solver at
zero temperature and a continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo (CT-QMC) solver at
finite temperature. We demonstrate numerically, in agreement with the
analytical result, that the tails vanish at the Fermi level at zero
temperature. In order to study multilayers, taken to be square lattices within
the layers, we use the real-space DMFT extension with the CT-QMC impurity
solver. For bilayers formed by the HMF with a band or correlated insulator, we
find that charge fluctuations between the layers enhance the finite temperature
tails. In addition, in the presence of inter-layer hopping, a coherent
quasiparticle peak forms in the otherwise correlated insulator. In the
multilayer heterostructure setup, we find that by suitably choosing the model
parameters, the tails at the HMF/Mott insulator interface can be reduced
significantly, and that a high spin polarization is conceivable, even in the
presence of long-ranged electrostatic interactions.Comment: to be published in Physical Review Researc
Characterizing isoform switching events in esophageal adenocarcinoma
Isoform switching events with predicted functional consequences are common in many cancers, but characterization of switching events in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is lacking. Next-generation sequencing was used to detect levels of RNA transcripts and identify specific isoforms in treatment- naïve esophageal tissues ranging from premalignant Barrett’s esophagus (BE), BE with low- or high-grade dysplasia (BE.LGD, BE.HGD), and EAC. Samples were stratified by histopathology and TP53 mutation status, identifying significant isoform switching events with predicted functional consequences. Comparing BE.LGD with BE.HGD, a histopathology linked to cancer progression, isoform switching events were identified in 75 genes including KRAS, RNF128, and WRAP53. Stratification based on TP53 status increased the number of significant isoform switches to 135, suggesting switching events affect cellular functions based on TP53 mutation and tissue histopathology. Analysis of isoforms agnostic, exclusive, and shared with mutant TP53 revealed unique signatures including demethylation, lipid and retinoic acid metabolism, and glucuronidation, respectively. Nearly half of isoform switching events were identified without significant gene-level expression changes. Importantly, two TP53-interacting isoforms, RNF128 and WRAP53, were significantly linked to patient survival. Thus, analysis of isoform switching events may provide new insight for the identification of prognostic markers and inform new potential therapeutic targets for EAC
Prebiotic proanthocyanidins inhibit bile reflux–induced esophageal adenocarcinoma through reshaping the gut microbiome and esophageal metabolome
The gut and local esophageal microbiome progressively shift from healthy commensal bacteria to inflammation-linked pathogenic bacteria in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett’s esophagus, and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). However, mechanisms by which microbial communities and metabolites contribute to reflux-driven EAC remain incompletely understood and challenging to target. Herein, we utilized a rat reflux-induced EAC model to investigate targeting the gut microbiome–esophageal metabolome axis with cranberry proanthocyanidins (C-PAC) to inhibit EAC progression. Sprague-Dawley rats, with or without reflux induction, received water or C-PAC ad libitum (700 μg/rat/day) for 25 or 40 weeks. C-PAC exerted prebiotic activity abrogating reflux-induced dysbiosis and mitigating bile acid metabolism and transport, culminating in significant inhibition of EAC through TLR/NF-κB/TP53 signaling cascades. At the species level, C-PAC mitigated reflux-induced pathogenic bacteria (Streptococcus parasanguinis, Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis). C-PAC specifically reversed reflux-induced bacterial, inflammatory, and immune-implicated proteins and genes, including Ccl4, Cd14, Crp, Cxcl1, Il6, Il1b, Lbp, Lcn2, Myd88, Nfkb1, Tlr2, and Tlr4, aligning with changes in human EAC progression, as confirmed through public databases. C-PAC is a safe, promising dietary constituent that may be utilized alone or potentially as an adjuvant to current therapies to prevent EAC progression through ameliorating reflux-induced dysbiosis, inflammation, and cellular damage
Characterizing isoform switching events in esophageal adenocarcinoma
Isoform switching events with predicted functional consequences are common in many cancers, but characterization of switching events in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is lacking. Next-generation sequencing was used to detect levels of RNA transcripts and identify specific isoforms in treatment- naïve esophageal tissues ranging from premalignant Barrett’s esophagus (BE), BE with low- or high-grade dysplasia (BE.LGD, BE.HGD), and EAC. Samples were stratified by histopathology and TP53 mutation status, identifying significant isoform switching events with predicted functional consequences. Comparing BE.LGD with BE.HGD, a histopathology linked to cancer progression, isoform switching events were identified in 75 genes including KRAS, RNF128, and WRAP53. Stratification based on TP53 status increased the number of significant isoform switches to 135, suggesting switching events affect cellular functions based on TP53 mutation and tissue histopathology. Analysis of isoforms agnostic, exclusive, and shared with mutant TP53 revealed unique signatures including demethylation, lipid and retinoic acid metabolism, and glucuronidation, respectively. Nearly half of isoform switching events were identified without significant gene-level expression changes. Importantly, two TP53-interacting isoforms, RNF128 and WRAP53, were significantly linked to patient survival. Thus, analysis of isoform switching events may provide new insight for the identification of prognostic markers and inform new potential therapeutic targets for EAC
Cartilage degeneration in the human patellae and its relationship to the mineralisation of the underlying bone
Human bipedal instability in tree canopy environments is reduced by “light touch” fingertip support
Whether tree canopy habitats played a sustained role in the ecology of ancestral bipedal hominins is unresolved. Some argue that arboreal bipedalism was prohibitively risky for hominins whose increasingly modern anatomy prevented them from gripping branches with their feet. Balancing on two legs is indeed challenging for humans under optimal conditions let alone in forest canopy, which is physically and visually highly dynamic. Here we quantify the impact of forest canopy characteristics on postural stability in humans. Viewing a movie of swaying branches while standing on a branch-like bouncy springboard destabilised the participants as much as wearing a blindfold. However “light touch”, a sensorimotor feedback strategy based on light fingertip support, significantly enhanced their balance and lowered their thigh muscle activity by up to 30%. This demonstrates how a light touch strategy could have been central to our ancestor’s ability to avoid falls and reduce the mechanical and metabolic cost of arboreal feeding and movement. Our results may also indicate that some adaptations in the hand that facilitated continued access to forest canopy may have complemented, rather than opposed, adaptations that facilitated precise manipulation and tool use
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