156 research outputs found
Dexrazoxane-afforded protection against chronic anthracycline cardiotoxicity in vivo: effective rescue of cardiomyocytes from apoptotic cell death
Heat and water transport in soils and across the soil‐atmosphere interface: 2. Numerical analysis
A Survey of Air-to-Ground Propagation Channel Modeling for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs), particularly for small UAVs, due to their affordable
prices, ease of availability, and ease of operability. Existing and future
applications of UAVs include remote surveillance and monitoring, relief
operations, package delivery, and communication backhaul infrastructure.
Additionally, UAVs are envisioned as an important component of 5G wireless
technology and beyond. The unique application scenarios for UAVs necessitate
accurate air-to-ground (AG) propagation channel models for designing and
evaluating UAV communication links for control/non-payload as well as payload
data transmissions. These AG propagation models have not been investigated in
detail when compared to terrestrial propagation models. In this paper, a
comprehensive survey is provided on available AG channel measurement campaigns,
large and small scale fading channel models, their limitations, and future
research directions for UAV communication scenarios
Co-Transport of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Motile Microorganisms Leads to Enhanced Mass Transfer under Diffusive Conditions.
The
environmental chemodynamics of hydrophobic organic chemicals
(HOCs) are often rate-limited by diffusion in stagnant boundary layers.
This study investigated whether motile microorganisms can act as microbial
carriers that enhance mass transfer of HOCs through diffusive boundary
layers. A new experimental system was developed that allows (1) generation
of concentration gradients of HOCs under the microscope, (2) exposure
and direct observation of microorganisms in such gradients, and (3)
quantification of HOC mass transfer. Silicone O-rings were integrated
into a Dunn chemotaxis chamber to serve as sink and source for polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This resulted in stable concentration
gradients in water (>24 h). Adding the model organism <i>Tetrahymena
pyriformis</i> to the experimental system enhanced PAH mass transfer
up to hundred-fold (benzo[a]pyrene). Increasing mass transfer enhancement
with hydrophobicity indicated PAH co-transport with the motile organisms.
Fluorescence microscopy confirmed such transport. The effective diffusivity
of <i>T. pyriformis</i>, determined by video imaging microscopy,
was found to exceed molecular diffusivities of the PAHs up to four-fold.
Cell-bound PAH fractions were determined to range from 28% (naphthalene)
to 92% (pyrene). Motile microorganisms can therefore function as effective
carriers for HOCs under diffusive conditions and might significantly
enhance mobility and availability of HOCs
Differential regulation of iron chelator-induced IL-8 synthesis via MAP kinase and NF-κB in immortalized and malignant oral keratinocytes
Abstract Background Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a cytokine that plays an important role in tumor progression in a variety of cancer types; however, its regulation is not well understood in oral cancer cells. In the present study, we examined the expression and mechanism of IL-8 in which it is involved by treating immortalized (IHOK) and malignant human oral keratinocytes (HN12) cells with deferoxamine (DFO). Methods IL-8 production was measured by an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays was used to determine NF-κB binding activity. Phosphorylation and degradation of the I-κB were analyized by Western blot. Results IHOK cells incubated with DFO showed increased expression of IL-8 mRNA, as well as higher release of the IL-8 protein. The up-regulation of DFO-induced IL-8 expression was higher in IHOK cells than in HN12 cells and was concentration-dependent. DFO acted additively with IL-1β to strongly up-regulate IL-8 in IHOK cells but not in HN12 cells. Accordingly, selective p38 and ERK1/2 inhibitors for both kinases abolished DFO-induced IL-8 expression in both IHOK and HN12 cells. Furthermore, DFO induced the degradation and phosphorylation of IκB, and activation of NF-κB. The IL-8 inducing effects of DFO were mediated by a nitric oxide donor (S-nitrosoglutathione), and by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, an inhibitor of NF-κB, as well as by wortmannin, which inhibits the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent activation of NAD(P)H oxidase. Conclusion This results demonstrate that DFO-induced IL-8 acts via multiple signaling pathways in immortalized and malignant oral keratinocytes, and that the control of IL-8 may be an important target for immunotheraphy against human oral premalignant lesions.</p
Inhibition of Rac1 signaling by lovastatin protects against anthracycline-induced cardiac toxicity
Normal tissue damage limits the efficacy of anticancer therapy. For anthracyclines, the clinically most relevant adverse effect is cardiotoxicity. The mechanisms involved are poorly understood and putative cardioprotectants are controversially discussed. Here, we show that the lipid-lowering drug lovastatin protects rat H9c2 cardiomyoblasts from doxorubicin in vitro. Protection by lovastatin is related to inhibition of the Ras-homologous GTPase Rac1. It rests on a reduced formation of DNA double-strand breaks, resulting from the inhibition of topoisomerase II by doxorubicin. Doxorubicin transport and reactive oxygen species are not involved. Protection by lovastatin was confirmed in vivo. In mice, lovastatin mitigated acute doxorubicin-induced heart and liver damage as indicated by reduced mRNA levels of the pro-fibrotic cytokine connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, respectively. Lovastatin also protected from doxorubicin-provoked subacute cardiac damage as shown by lowered mRNA levels of CTGF and atrial natriuretic peptide. Increase in the serum concentration of troponin I and cardiac fibrosis following doxorubicin treatment were also reduced by lovastatin. Whereas protecting the heart from harmful doxorubicin effects, lovastatin augmented its anticancer efficacy in a mouse xenograft model with human sarcoma cells. These data show that statins lower the incidence of cardiac tissue injury after anthracycline treatment in a Rac1-dependent manner, without impairing the therapeutic efficacy
Avaliação histomorfométrica da associação entre biovidro e osso bovino liofilizado no tratamento de defeitos ósseos críticos criados em calvárias de ratos. Estudo piloto
Impact of UGT2B7 His268Tyr polymorphism on the outcome of adjuvant epirubicin treatment in breast cancer
Thermodynamic model of hardness: Particular case of boron-rich solids
A number of successful theoretical models of hardness have been developed
recently. A thermodynamic model of hardness, which supposes the intrinsic
character of correlation between hardness and thermodynamic properties of
solids, allows one to predict hardness of known or even hypothetical solids
from the data on Gibbs energy of atomization of the elements, which implicitly
determine the energy density per chemical bonding. The only structural data
needed is the coordination number of the atoms in a lattice. Using this
approach, the hardness of known and hypothetical polymorphs of pure boron and a
number of boron-rich solids has been calculated. The thermodynamic
interpretation of the bonding energy allows one to predict the hardness as a
function of thermodynamic parameters. In particular, the excellent agreement
between experimental and calculated values has been observed not only for the
room- temperature values of the Vickers hardness of stoichiometric compounds,
but also for its temperature and concentration dependencies
Nanoscale Metallic Iron for Environmental Remediation: Prospects and Limitations
The amendment of the subsurface with nanoscale metallic iron particles
(nano-Fe0) has been discussed in the literature as an efficient in situ
technology for groundwater remediation. However, the introduction of this
technology was controversial and its efficiency has never been univocally
established. This unsatisfying situation has motivated this communication whose
objective was a comprehensive discussion of the intrinsic reactivity of
nano-Fe0 based on the contemporary knowledge on the mechanism of contaminant
removal by Fe0 and a mathematical model. It is showed that due to limitations
of the mass transfer of nano-Fe0 to contaminants, available concepts cannot
explain the success of nano-Fe0 injection for in situ groundwater remediation.
It is recommended to test the possibility of introducing nano-Fe0 to initiate
the formation of roll-fronts which propagation would induce the reductive
transformation of both dissolved and adsorbed contaminants. Within a
roll-front, FeII from nano-Fe0 is the reducing agent for contaminants. FeII is
recycled by biotic or abiotic FeIII reduction. While the roll-front concept
could explain the success of already implemented reaction zones, more research
is needed for a science-based recommendation of nano- Fe0 for subsurface
treatment by roll-front
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