Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has an important role in cancer progression, and high levels of plasma IL-6 are correlated with a poor prognosis in a variety of cancers. It has also been reported that tumour ...stromal fibroblasts are necessary for steps in cancer progression, such as angiogenesis. There have been few reports of a correlation between fibroblast actions and IL-6 levels. In this study, we examined the correlation between cancer stromal fibroblasts and IL-6 and the utility of IL-6 as a therapeutic target in human colon cancer.
The expression levels of IL-6 and VEGF of fibroblasts and cancer cell lines were evaluated using real-time PCR and ELISA. The anti-angiogenic effect of inhibiting IL-6 signalling was measured in an angiogenesis model and animal experiment.
We demonstrate that stromal fibroblasts isolated from colon cancer produced significant amounts of IL-6 and that colon cancer cells enhanced IL-6 production by stromal fibroblasts. Moreover, IL-6 enhanced VEGF production by fibroblasts, thereby inducing angiogenesis. In vivo, anti-IL6 receptor antibody targeting stromal tissue showed greater anti-tumour activity than did anti-IL6 receptor antibody targeting xenografted cancer cells.
Cancer stromal fibroblasts were an important source of IL-6 in colon cancer. IL-6 produced by activated fibroblasts induced tumour angiogenesis by stimulating adjacent stromal fibroblasts. The relationship between IL-6 and stromal fibroblasts offers new approaches to cancer therapy.
Silver nanowires >60 μm and even 100 μm in length have been synthesized using a polyol process by adjusting the stirring speed at 130 °C. The length is over three times longer than that of normal ...AgNWs. These wires have a uniform ∼60 nm diameter, independent of the stirring speed. At 91% transmittance at 550 nm, AgNW films fabricated at room temperature achieved 25 Ω per square sheet resistance, which is superior to that of expensive ITO films.
Summary
The activation of nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) in vascular endothelial cells may be involved in vascular pathogeneses such as vasculitis or atherosclerosis. Recently, it has been reported ...that some amino acids exhibit anti‐inflammatory effects. We investigated the inhibitory effects of a panel of amino acids on cytokine production or expression of adhesion molecules that are involved in inflammatory diseases in various cell types. The activation of NF‐κB was determined in human coronary arterial endothelial cells (HCAECs) because NF‐κB modulates the production of many cytokines and the expression of adhesion molecules. We examined the inhibitory effects of the amino acids cysteine, histidine and glycine on the induction of NF‐κB activation, expression of CD62E (E‐selectin) and the production of interleukin (IL)‐6 in HCAECs stimulated with tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α. Cysteine, histidine and glycine significantly reduced NF‐κB activation and inhibitor κBα (IκBα) degradation in HCAECs stimulated with TNF‐α. Additionally, all the amino acids inhibited the expression of E‐selectin and the production of IL‐6 in HCAECs, and the effects of cysteine were the most significant. Our results show that glycine, histidine and cysteine can inhibit NF‐κB activation, IκBα degradation, CD62E expression and IL‐6 production in HCAECs, suggesting that these amino acids may exhibit anti‐inflammatory effects during endothelial inflammation.
In this study, energetic helium (He) ion irradiation was performed to obtain bulk He distribution in tungsten (W) materials, concurrent with damage introduction at high temperature. Then, deuterium ...(D) implantation and thermal desorption spectrometry were performed to evaluate D retention. At the same time, the surface tritium (T) concentration and depth distribution were evaluated by imaging plate (IP) and β-ray induced X-ray spectroscopy (BIXS) measurements after mixed D-T gas exposure. Numerical simulations were applied to evaluate changes in binding energies, diffusion depths, and trapping sites under different irradiation conditions. The results showed that weak trapping sites with higher concentration, such as vacancies, were produced during only energetic He+ irradiation events, leading to enhancement of D retention. Fe3+-He+ simultaneous irradiation promoted the formation of HexVy complexes, which reduced the concentration of vacancy trapping sites and changed the stress field around defects, leading to the suppression of D trapping behavior. From the reduced effects of D retention caused by HexVy complexes at higher temperatures, the results suggested that defect recovery was the dominant mechanism. With increasing damage level at higher temperatures, more weak trapping sites, such as dislocations and vacancies sites, were produced, leading to a more dominant influence on D retention than HexVy complex effects. It was also found that HexVy complexes prevented D diffusion to the bulk and that simulation results showed that the damage level had little impact on D diffusion depth.
Aim
Attending routine outpatient clinic appointments is a central self‐management behaviour of individuals living with Type 1 diabetes. A large number of young adults with Type 1 diabetes disengage ...from diabetes services, which may contribute to poor psychosocial and diabetes outcomes. The aim of this study is to elicit preferences from young adults with Type 1 diabetes regarding clinic‐related services to inform service delivery.
Methods
A discrete choice experiment was developed to understand the preferences of young adults with Type 1 diabetes for clinic‐related services.
Results
Young adults recruited from young adult Type 1 diabetes clinics in 2016 completed the experiment (n = 105). Young adults with Type 1 diabetes showed a preference for shorter waiting times, seeing a nurse and a consultant, relative to a nurse alone, and a flexible booking system compared with fixed appointment times. Results suggest no preference for a nurse and a doctor, relative to a nurse alone, or other optional services (e.g. seeing dietitians or psychologists), type of HbA1c test and digital blood glucose diaries over paper‐based diaries.
Conclusion
This study highlights aspects of routine clinic appointments that are valued by young adults living with Type 1 diabetes, namely shorter waiting times at clinic, the option to see both a nurse and consultant at each visit and a flexible clinic appointment booking system. These findings suggest young adults with Type 1 diabetes value convenience and should help services to restructure their clinics to be more responsive to the needs of young adults.
What's new?
This is the first study to use a discrete choice experiment to elicit clinic preferences of young adults (aged 18–25 years) with Type 1 diabetes.
This study involved a high level of engagement with our public and patient involvement panel to discuss and refine attributes and levels, and in creating and finalizing the design.
The study presents unique insights into the care/treatment preferences of young adults living with Type 1 diabetes for specific characteristics of routine clinic appointments and their willingness to pay for variations in the levels of these characteristics.
This study shows that young adults with Type 1 diabetes reported a preference for shorter waiting times at clinics, the option to see both a nurse and consultant at each visit and a flexible clinic appointment booking system.
Objective: To estimate the disease activity score (DAS)28-C-reactive protein (CRP) threshold values that correspond to DAS28-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) values for remission, low disease ...activity and high disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: DAS28 data were analysed using a large observational study (Institute of Rheumatology Rheumatoid Arthritis) database of 6729 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Firstly, the relationship between the DAS28-ESR and the DAS28-CRP values was analysed. Secondly, the best DAS28-CRP trade-off values for each threshold were calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: The correlation coefficient of ESR versus CRP was 0.686, whereas that of DAS28-ESR versus DAS28-CRP was 0.946, showing the strong linear relationship between DAS28-ESR and DAS28-CRP values. DAS28-CRP threshold values corresponding to remission, low disease activity and high disease activity were 2.3, 2.7 and 4.1, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity from the ROC curves were gradually reduced as DAS28 values became lower. Conclusions: This study showed that DAS28-CRP and DAS28-ESR were well correlated, but the threshold values should be reconsidered. As the results were derived from only Japanese patients, it is essential to compare DAS28-CRP threshold values in people of other ethnic groups.
Tungsten samples were irradiated by neutrons in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), Oak Ridge National Laboratory at reactor coolant temperatures of 50-70 °C to low displacement damage of 0.025 and ...0.3 dpa. After cooling down, the HFIR neutron-irradiated tungsten samples were exposed to deuterium plasmas in the Tritium Plasma Experiment, Idaho National Laboratory at 100, 200 and 500 °C twice at the ion fluence of 5 × 1025 m−2 to reach the total ion fluence of 1 × 1026 m−2 in order to investigate the near-surface deuterium retention and saturation via nuclear reaction analysis. Final thermal desorption spectroscopy was performed to elucidate the irradiation effect on total deuterium retention. Nuclear reaction analysis results showed that the maximum near-surface (<5 µm depth) deuterium concentration increased from 0.5 at% D/W in 0.025 dpa samples to 0.8 at% D/W in 0.3 dpa samples. The large discrepancy between the total retention via thermal desorption spectroscopy and the near-surface retention via nuclear reaction analysis indicated the deuterium was trapped in bulk (at least 50 µm depth for 0.025 dpa and 35 µm depth for 0.3 dpa) at 500 °C cases even in the relatively low ion fluence of 1026 m−2.
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