Tumors are stiff and data suggest that the extracellular matrix stiffening that correlates with experimental mammary malignancy drives tumor invasion and metastasis. Nevertheless, the relationship ...between tissue and extracellular matrix stiffness and human breast cancer progression and aggression remains unclear. We undertook a biophysical and biochemical assessment of stromal-epithelial interactions in noninvasive, invasive and normal adjacent human breast tissue and in breast cancers of increasingly aggressive subtype. Our analysis revealed that human breast cancer transformation is accompanied by an incremental increase in collagen deposition and a progressive linearization and thickening of interstitial collagen. The linearization of collagen was visualized as an overall increase in tissue birefringence and was most striking at the invasive front of the tumor where the stiffness of the stroma and cellular mechanosignaling were the highest. Amongst breast cancer subtypes we found that the stroma at the invasive region of the more aggressive Basal-like and Her2 tumor subtypes was the most heterogeneous and the stiffest when compared to the less aggressive luminal A and B subtypes. Intriguingly, we quantified the greatest number of infiltrating macrophages and the highest level of TGF beta signaling within the cells at the invasive front. We also established that stroma stiffness and the level of cellular TGF beta signaling positively correlated with each other and with the number of infiltrating tumor-activated macrophages, which was highest in the more aggressive tumor subtypes. These findings indicate that human breast cancer progression and aggression, collagen linearization and stromal stiffening are linked and implicate tissue inflammation and TGF beta.
Human tumors are stiff and data suggest that the extracellular matrix stiffening is consistent with experimental mammary tumor models in which stiffness drives tumor invasion and metastasis.
A proportion of obese subjects appear metabolically healthy (MHO) but little is known about the natural history of MHO and factors predicting its future conversion to metabolically unhealthy obese ...(MUO).
The aim was to determine prospectively the frequency of conversion of MHO to MUO and the clinical variables that independently predicted this conversion, with a particular focus on the role of body composition.
We identified 85 Japanese Americans with MHO (56 men, 29 women), aged 34-73 years (mean age 49.8 years) who were followed at 2.5, 5 and 10 years after enrollment with measurements of metabolic characteristics, lifestyle and abdominal and thigh fat areas measured by computed tomography. Obesity was defined using the Asian body mass index criterion of ⩾25 kg m(-2). Metabolically healthy was defined as the presence of ⩽2 of 5 metabolic syndrome components proposed by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III, while metabolically unhealthy was defined as ⩾3 components.
Over 10 years of follow-up, 55 MHO individuals (64.7%) converted to MUO. Statistically significant univariate predictors of conversion included dyslipidemia, greater insulin resistance and greater visceral abdominal (VAT) and subcutaneous abdominal fat area (SAT). In multivariate analysis, VAT (odds ratio per 1-s.d. increment (95% confidence interval) 2.04 (1.11-3.72), P=0.021), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (0.24 (0.11-0.53), P<0.001), fasting plasma insulin (2.45 (1.07-5.62), P=0.034) and female sex (5.37 (1.14-25.27), P=0.033) were significantly associated with future conversion to MUO. However, SAT was not an independent predictor for future conversion to MUO.
In this population, MHO was a transient state, with nearly two-thirds developing MUO over 10 years, with higher conversion to MUO independently associated with VAT, female sex, higher fasting insulin level and lower baseline HDL cholesterol level.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The transcriptional co‐activator with PDZ‐binding motif (TAZ) is characterized as a transcriptional modulator of mesenchymal stem cell differentiation into osteoblasts and ...adipocytes. Moreover, increased TAZ activity in the nucleus enhances osteoblast differentiation and suppresses adipocyte development by interacting with runt‐related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and PPARγ, respectively. Therefore, it would be of interest to identify low MW compounds that modulate nuclear TAZ activity.
EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH High‐throughput screening was performed using a library of low MW compounds in order to identify TAZ modulators that enhance nuclear TAZ localization. The effects and molecular mechanisms of a TAZ modulator have been characterized in osteoblast and adipocyte differentiation.
KEY RESULTS We identified 2‐butyl‐5‐methyl‐6‐(pyridine‐3‐yl)‐3‐2′‐(1H‐tetrazole‐5‐yl)‐biphenyl‐4‐ylmethyl‐3H‐imidazo4,5‐bpyridine (TM‐25659) as a TAZ modulator. TM‐25659 enhanced nuclear TAZ localization in a dose‐dependent manner and attenuated PPARγ‐mediated adipocyte differentiation by facilitating PPARγ suppression activity of TAZ. In addition, TAZ‐induced RUNX2 activity activation was further increased in osteoblasts, causing increased osteoblast differentiation. Accordingly, TM‐25659 suppressed bone loss in vivo and decreased weight gain in an obesity model. After oral administration, TM‐25659 had a favourable pharmacokinetic profile.
CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS TM‐25659 stimulated nuclear TAZ localization and thus caused TAZ to suppress PPARγ‐dependent adipogenesis and enhance RUNX2‐induced osteoblast differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Our data suggest that TM‐25659 could be beneficial in the control of obesity and bone loss.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Aim
To explore the involvement of TLR5 in pulp inflammation and to examine the effects of TLR5 activation with its ligand, FlaB protein, on pro‐inflammatory gene expression.
Methodology
TLR5 ...expression in dental pulp tissues and human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) were determined by immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, Western blots and RT‐PCR analyses. To examine the role of TLR5, hDPCs were treated with recombinant FlaB protein (500 ng mL−1) to activate the receptor or with a small interfering RNA against TLR5 (si‐TLR5) to downregulate the receptor. After exposure to FlaB, the expression of inflammation‐related proteins was screened using a protein array kit. Western blots or qRT‐PCR analyses were performed to identify changes in the expression of uPA (urokinase plasminogen activator), TIMPs (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases), and IL‐6 and to determine their signalling pathways. Statistical analysis was performed using one‐way analysis of variance (anova) with Tukey post hoc test; P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Result
TLR5 expression was identified in pulp tissues and hDPCs. In the protein array analysis, treatment with FlaB significantly increased uPA expression (P < 0.01) and significantly decreased TIMP1/4 (P < 0.05). FlaB treatment also significantly increased expression of the inflammatory marker IL‐6 (P < 0.01). FlaB treatment increased phosphorylation of the NF‐κB p65 subunit, JNK, p38 and ERK. Chemical inhibitors of NF‐κB (Bay11‐7082), p38 (SB202190) or ERK (U0126) decreased the FlaB induction of uPA expression. Downregulation of TLR5 expression by siRNA decreased the FlaB induction of uPA protein and p65 phosphorylation.
Conclusion
TLR5 activation with FlaB treatment induced the expression of uPA via the NF‐κB and MAPK signalling pathways. Flagellin‐bearing oral bacteria may cause pulp inflammation through TLR5. The findings provide new clues to control pulpal diseases by targeting TLR5 signalling pathways.
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BFBNIB, CMK, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Morphology‐controlled nano‐ and microcrystals of ZnO (see figure) with different ratios of polar to nonpolar faces were synthesized through a soft‐solution process. With these crystals, it is clearly ...demonstrated that a ZnO nanoplate with a large population of polar Zn(0001) faces is the most photocatalytically active morphology, underscoring the importance of the fine‐tuning of face orientation in optimizing the activity of photocatalysts.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Although perforation of the colon is known as one of the main complications of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for colorectal tumor management, factors predictive of perforation have not been ...fully evaluated. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with perforation during colorectal ESD.
Patients with colorectal tumors undergoing ESD were enrolled and their records were reviewed retrospectively. Age, sex, co-morbidity, medication history, procedure time, resection method, tumor size, location, gross morphology, the presence of fibrosis, and histologic findings were included as possible risk factors. In the cases where perforation had occurred, factors associated with the duration of hospitalization were analyzed.
One hundred eight lesions in 108 patients were eligible for inclusion in the study (68 patients were male; mean patient age was 63.01 ± 10.71 years). Mean tumor size was 27.59 ± 10.10 mm (range: 8 - 53 mm). Laterally spreading tumor was the most common type (75 %), followed by the protruding type (25 %). Procedure time was 61.95 ± 41.90 minutes (range: 5 - 198 minutes). Complete en bloc resection was achieved for 85 lesions (78.7 %). Perforation occurred in 22 patients (20.4 %). Multivariate analysis confirmed that tumor size odds ratio (OR): 1.084; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.015 - 1.158; P = 0.017 and the presence of fibrosis (OR: 4.551; 95 %CI: 1.092 - 18.960; P = 0.037) were independent risk factors for perforation. All cases of perforation were managed with nonsurgical treatment. Younger age and abdominal pain appeared to be related to prolonged hospitalization.
Tumor size and fibrosis are important factors related to complications during colorectal ESD. Younger age and development of abdominal pain can predict the hospital course in patients with perforation after ESD.
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death among liver transplant (LT) recipients. With a rising burden of posttransplantation metabolic disease, increases in cardiovascular‐related morbidity ...and mortality may reduce life expectancy after LT. It is unknown if the risk of long‐term major cardiovascular events (MCEs) differs among LT recipients with varying diabetic states. We performed a retrospective cohort study of LT recipients from 2003 through 2013 to compare the incidence of MCEs among patients (1) without diabetes, (2) with pretransplantation diabetes, (3) with de novo transient posttransplantation diabetes, and (4) with de novo sustained posttransplantation diabetes. We analyzed 994 eligible patients (39% without diabetes, 24% with pretransplantation diabetes, 16% with transient posttransplantation diabetes, and 20% with sustained posttransplantation diabetes). Median follow‐up was 54.7 months. Overall, 12% of patients experienced a MCE. After adjustment for demographic and clinical variables, sustained posttransplantation diabetes was the only state associated with a significantly increased risk of MCEs (subdistribution hazard ratio 1.95, 95% confidence interval 1.20–3.18). Patients with sustained posttransplantation diabetes mellitus had a 13% and 27% cumulative incidence of MCEs at 5 and 10 years, respectively. While pretransplantation diabetes has traditionally been associated with cardiovascular disease, the long‐term risk of MCEs is greatest in LT recipients with sustained posttransplantation diabetes mellitus.
In a retrospective cohort study of 994 liver transplant recipients utilizing adjusted competing risk regression models, sustained posttransplant diabetes mellitus is the only diabetic state associated with a significantly increased risk of long‐term major atherosclerotic cardiac events and cardiac arrest.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology has recently been used to generate animals with a common genetic composition. In this study, we report the derivation of a pluripotent embryonic stem ...(ES) cell line (SCNT-hES-1) from a cloned human blastocyst. The SCNT-hES-1 cells displayed typical ES cell morphology and cell surface markers and were capable of differentiating into embryoid bodies in vitro and of forming teratomas in vivo containing cell derivatives from all three embryonic germ layers in severe combined immunodeficient mice. After continuous proliferation for more than 70 passages, SCNT-hES-1 cells maintained normal karyotypes and were genetically identical to the somatic nuclear donor cells. Although we cannot completely exclude the possibility that the cells had a parthenogenetic origin, imprinting analyses support a SCNT origin of the derived human ES cells.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Globally, cardiac arrest (CA) is a leading cause of death and disability. Asphyxial CA (ACA)-induced kidney damage is a crucial factor in reducing the survival rate. The purpose of this study was to ...investigate the role of antioxidant enzymes in histopathological renal damage in an ACA rat model at different time points. A total of 88 rats were divided into five groups and exposed to ACA except for the sham group. To evaluate glomerular function and oxidative stress, serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Crtn) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in renal tissues were measured. To determine histopathological damage, hematoxylin and eosin staining, periodic acid-Schiff staining, and Masson's trichrome staining were performed. Expression levels of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1), superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD-2), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Survival rate of the experimental rats was reduced to 80% at 6 h, 55% at 12 h, 42.9% at 1 day, and 33% at 2 days after return of spontaneous circulation. Levels of BUN, Crtn, and MDA started to increase significantly in the early period of CA induction. Renal histopathological damage increased markedly from 6 h until two days post-CA. Additionally, expression levels of antioxidant enzymes were significantly decreased at 6 h, 12 h, 1 day, and 2 days after CA. CA-induced oxidative stress and decreased levels of antioxidant enzymes (SOD-1, SOD-2, CAT, GPx) from 6 h to two days could be possible mediators of severe renal tissue damage and increased mortality rate.
Nanocomposites reinforced with nano-scale reinforcements exhibit excellent mechanical properties with low volume fraction of the reinforcement. For instance, only an addition of 0.7 vol.% few-layer ...graphene (FLG) into the pure titanium shows strength of ~1.5 GPa, obviously much superior to that of the monolithic titanium. The strengthening efficiency of composites is determined by several factors such as reinforcement geometrical/spatial characteristics and interfacial features between the matrix and the reinforcement. For the metal-matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs), since the nano-scale reinforcement has significantly high specific surface area, interfacial feature is more important and has to be clearly evaluated in understanding property of MMNCs. Although many researchers suggested the theoretical work using continuum mechanics in order to estimate the mechanical properties of the metallic composites, a clear determination has yet not to be proven by systematic experimental works. Here, we provide a new model to predict strength and stiffness of MMNCs based on quantitative analysis of efficiency parameters in which interface feature is strongly emphasized. To validate the model, we select multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and FLG for reinforcement, and titanium (Ti) and aluminum (Al) for the matrix to modify bonding strength and specific surface area in the MMNCs.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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