E-selectin, ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1), and VCAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule-1) play a role in atopic dermatitis (AD). This study aimed to evaluate their expression in skin ...biopsy specimens of patients diagnosed with AD using an optimized computer program. A descriptive analysis and comparison of digitally measured surface area and cell number were performed. The number of E-selectin-positive cells did not vary between the groups. In patients with AD, decreases of 1.2-fold for ICAM-1- and 1.3-fold for VCAM-1- positive cells were observed. The E-selectin-positive epidermal surface area increased (
< 0.001), while ICAM1 and VCAM1 decreased 2.5-fold and 2-fold, respectively, compared to controls. In the AD-affected skin, the E-selectin-positive endothelial area was 3.5-fold larger (
< 0.001), and the ICAM1-positive area was almost 4-fold larger (
< 0.001). E-selectin and ICAM-1 were expressed in the control dermis moderately and weakly, respectively. A strong E-selectin signal was detected in the AD-affected skin macrophages and a strong ICAM-1 signal in the dermal vessel endothelium. In the endothelial cells of AD-affected skin, no VCAM-1 signal could be found. E-selectin, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 expression show significant disease-specific changes between AD-affected and control skin. The combination of digital analysis and a pathologist's evaluation may present a valuable follow-up of AD activity parameters.
The European Union was created and is founded on values which are the joint heritage and patrimony of the overall development of Europe, namely the ideals of freedom, unity and equality, peace and ...security, democracy, human and minority rights and the rule of law. The reason why migrants come to Europe is because it is safe, there is more democracy, there is more freedom, more tolerance, but also more social benefits, than in their countries of origin. The EU ensures the social needs of migrants are met through tax revenues. It also specifies the frameworks within which member states adopt the laws constituting the institutional integration infrastructure. Integration is the two-way process of adaptation between migrants and the receiving society, and therefore, the same effort is expected from immigrants who, fleeing conflict and poverty, have found the opportunity to start a new life in the country of immigration. However, many, once settled, do not want to integrate, but rather continue to live in Europe as they did in the countries from where they came. Numerous domicile residents feel that major ethnic changes are changing European culture too quickly, and that this could have unintended consequences, among other things, in terms of the economy. The objective of this paper is to identify the challenges related to migration, increase awareness of the issue, analyze and compare the integration efforts made by EU countries, and highlight the challenges they faced and the outcomes of their initiatives. The study involved comparing data from secondary sources and conducting a meta-analysis of relevant literature. Such research is significant in enhancing the migration process as continuous awareness-raising about this matter is one of the key solutions for embracing the changes in migration that affect us all.
Although DNA methylation epigenetically regulates development, data on global DNA methylation during development of limb buds (LBs) are scarce. We aimed to investigate the global DNA methylation ...developmental dynamics in rat LBs cultivated in a serum-supplemented (SS) and in chemically defined serum- and protein-free (SF) three-dimensional organ culture. Fischer rat front- and hind-LBs at 13th and 14th gestation days (GD) were cultivated at the air-liquid interface in Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium (MEM) or MEM with 50% rat serum for 14 days, as SF and SS conditions, respectively. The methylation of repetitive DNA sequences (SINE rat ID elements) was assessed by pyrosequencing. Development was evaluated by light microscopy and extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycans staining by Safranin O. Upon isolation, weak Safranin O staining was present only in more developed GD14 front-LBs. Chondrogenesis proceeded well in all cultures towards day 14, except in the SF-cultivated GD13 hind-LBs, where Safranin O staining was almost absent on day 3. That was associated with a higher percentage of DNA methylation than in SF-cultivated GD13 front-LBs on day three. In SF-cultivated front-LBs, a significant methylation increase between the 3rd and 14th day was detected. In SS-cultivated GD13 front-LBs, methylation increased significantly on day three and then decreased. In older GD14 SS-cultivated LBs, there was no increase of DNA methylation, but they were significantly hypomethylated relative to the SS-cultivated GD13 at days 3 and 14. We confirmed that the global DNA methylation increase is associated with less developed limb organ primordia that strive towards differentiation in vitro, which is of importance for regenerative medicine strategies.
Thermal aging of hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene/isophorone diisocyanate (HTPB/IPDI)-based polyurethane was studied as a function of NCO/OH ratio (1.0 and 0.85). Samples were aged in air ovens at ...50, 60, 65, and 70 degree C for periods of time from 1 to 34 weeks. Changes in chemical (swelling testing and FT-IR spectroscopy) and mechanical (tension testing and hardness) properties were evaluated throughout the aging assays. Correlation between equilibrium swelling ratio and clastic modulus, coupled with changes in FT-IR spectra, indicated oxidative cross-linking as the dominant mechanism for both molar ratios investigated. However, determination of Arrhenius activation energy resulted in values of (82 plus or minus 10) kJ.mol super(-1) and (156 plus or minus 30) kJ.mol super(-1) for 1.0 and 0.85 NCO/OH ratios, respectively, thus revealing faster oxidative degradation kinetics for higher urethane linkage networks.
Early development of the human embryonic testis Himelreich Perić, Marta; Takahashi, Marta; Ježek, Davor ...
Differentiation (London),
January-February 2023, 2023 Jan-Feb, 2023-01-00, 20230101, Volume:
129
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Human gonadal development culminating in testicular differentiation is described through analysis of histologic sections derived from 33-day to 20-week human embryos/fetuses, focusing on early ...development (4–8 weeks of gestation). Our study updates the comprehensive studies of Felix (1912), van Wagenen and Simpson (1965), and Juric-Lekic et al. (2013), which were published in books and thus are unsearchable via PubMed. Human gonads develop from the germinal ridge, a thickening of coelomic epithelium on the medial side of the urogenital ridge. The bilateral urogenital ridges contain elements of the mesonephric kidney, namely the mesonephric duct, mesonephric tubules, and mesonephric glomeruli. The germinal ridge, into which primordial germ cells migrate, is initially recognized as a thickening of coelomic epithelium on the urogenital ridge late in the 4th week of gestation. Subsequently, in the 5th week of gestation, a dense mesenchyme develops sub-adjacent to the epithelium of the germinal ridge, and together these elements bulge into the coelomic cavity forming bilateral longitudinal ridges attached to the urogenital ridges. During development, primordial cells migrate into the germinal ridge and subsequently into testicular cords that form within the featureless dense mesenchyme of the germinal ridge at 6–8 weeks of gestation. The initial low density of testicular cords seen at 8 weeks remodels into a dense array of testicular cords surrounded by α-actin-positive myoid cells during the second trimester. Human testicular development shares many features with that of mice being derived from 4 elements: coelomic epithelium, sub-adjacent mesenchyme, primordial germ cells, and the mesonephros.
The use of polyamic acid (PAA) precursor as interphase in polymer composites is one of the many applications of polyimides (PIs). In this work, composites based on poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) and ...carbon fibers were prepared using two manufacturing techniques for thermoplastic composites: hot compression molding, and aqueous polymeric suspension prepregging using PIs as interphase. Two PAAs were synthesized and used as interphases: 3,3'-4,4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride/oxydianiline (BTDA/ODA) and pyromellitic dianhydride/oxydianiline (PMDA/ODA). The PAA/PI systems were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Results from these analyses confirmed the synthesis of these compounds. Aqueous polymeric suspension prepregging was more efficient than hot compression molding when the PMDA/ODA PAA/PI interphase was used; also, the interlaminar shear strength of composites produced using this technique was 14.5% higher than the one produced using hot compression molding.
Synthesis of a boron modified phenolic resin Kawamoto, Aparecida M.; Pardini, Luiz Cláudio; Diniz, Milton Faria ...
Journal of aerospace technology and management,
08/2010, Volume:
2, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Phenolic resin has long been used as matrix for composites mainly because of its flame retardant behavior and high char yield after pyrolysis, which results in a self supporting structure. The ...addition of ceramic powders, such as SiC and B4C, as fillers to the phenolic resin, results in better thermo-oxidative stability, but as drawbacks, it has poor homogeneity, adhesion and processing difficulties during molding of the composites. The addition of single elements, such as boron, silicon and phosphorus in the main backbone of the thermo-set resin is a new strategy to obtain special high performance resins, which results in higher mechanical properties, avoiding the drawbacks of simply adding fillers, which results in enhanced thermo-oxidative stability compared to conventional phenol-formaldehyde resins. Therefore, the product can have several applications, including the use as ablative thermal protection for thermo-structural composites. This work describes the preparation of a boron-modified phenolic resin (BPR) using salicyl alcohol and boric acid. The reaction was performed in refluxing toluene for a period of four hours, which produced a very high viscosity amber resin in 90% yield.The final structure of the compound, the boric acid double, substituted at the hydroxyl group of the aromatic ring, was determined with the help of the Infrared Spectroscopy, 1H-NMR, TGA-DSC and boron elemental analysis. The absorption band of the group B-O at 1349 cm-1 can be visualized at the FT-IR spectrum. 1H-NMR spectra showed peaks at 4.97-5.04 ppm and 3.60-3.90 ppm assigned to belong to CH2OH groups from the alcohol. The elemental analysis was also performed for boron determination.The product has also been tested in carbon and silicon fibers composite for the use in thermal structure. The results of the tests showed composites with superior mechanical properties when compared with the conventional phenolic resin.
Cartilage differentiates in rat limb buds cultivated in a chemically defined protein‐free medium in the same manner as in the richer serum‐supplemented medium. We aimed to investigate the remaining ...differentiation potential of pre‐cultivated limb buds by subsequent transplantation in vivo. Rat front (FLBs) and hind‐limb buds (HLBs) were isolated from Fischer rat dams at the 14th gestation day (GD 14) and cultivated at the air‐liquid interface in Eagle's Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) alone; with 5 μM of 5‐azacytidine (5azaC) or with rat serum (1:1). Overall growth was measured seven times during the culture by an ocular micrometre. After 14 days, explants were transplanted under the kidney capsule of adult males. Growth of limb buds was significantly lower in all limb buds cultivated in MEM than in those cultivated with serum. In MEM with 5azaC, growth of LBs was significantly lower only on day 3 of culture. Afterwards, it was higher throughout the culture period, although a statistically significant difference was assessed only for HLBs. In transplants, mixed structures developed with the differentiated transmembranous bone, cartilage with enchondral ossification, bone‐marrow, sebaceous gland, and hair that have never been found in vitro. Nerves differentiated only in transplants precultivated in the serum‐supplemented medium. We conclude that pre‐cultivation of LBs in a chemically defined protein‐free medium does not restrict osteogenesis and formation of epidermal appendages but is restrictive for neural tissue. These results are important for understanding limb development and regenerative medicine strategies.
During the refugee crisis of2015/2016, a significant influx of unaccompanied children began entering Europe, a trend that has continued to the present day. Due to war, human rights violations, ...poverty, natural disasters, and lack of education, many children, particularly from the Middle East and Africa, have either independently or at the behest of their families, embarked on a journey towards a better life, joining the flow of refugees seeking to reach wealthier European countries. These children, nationals of third countries or stateless, are outside their country of origin and separated from both parents or legal guardians. The separation from parents or guardians increases the risk of these children falling victim to human traffickers, who force them into pickpocketing, begging, or working as unpaid domestic servants and laborers. They are coerced into participating in drug trafficking, prostitution, and pornography, and often fall prey to false adoptions and organ trafficking. The negative longterm economic and social aspects include the perpetuation of social inequality and poverty cycles, as these children are deprived of educational opportunities and the prospect of betterpaid jobs in the future. The exploitation of unaccompanied children can also stimulate further migration, leading to complex demographic consequences, including pressure on public services and infrastructure. However, integrating and appropriately educating unaccompanied children can yield positive long-term economic and social outcomes, as these children become productive members of society, contributing to the economy through the workforce and tax payments, and to society by raising the standard of living. Notably, in contrast to many other situations where collaboration may be lacking, the case of unaccompanied children sees strong empathy and joint efforts from both media and public relations services of state institutions to assist this vulnerable group.
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