Determination of the tumor marker concentration in peritoneal fluid (PF) may help to assess its potential to detect small concentration changes between benign ovarian pathology and early stage ...ovarian cancer. Peritoneal washing, which can also be obtained when PF is absent, is already included in the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging classification for ovarian cancer but sampling has not yet been standardized. Since our aim was to evaluate the relationship between marker concentration in PF and washing, standardization of the sampling protocol was a prerequisite to ensure reliable results.
Thirty-three women with non-malignant pathology of the reproductive organs were included in the study. We used three promising tumor markers for evaluation of the marker concentration in local fluid: osteopontin (sOPN), splice variant 6 of sCD44 (sCD44-v6) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1). After aspiration of PF, washing of the uterus, ovaries and pelvic peritoneum was performed with saline solution. Patients were divided into two groups based on the solution volume: A-20 ml and B-50 ml. To determine the efficiency of washing in relation to solution volume, washing was repeated three times. Concentrations of markers in samples were determined using flow cytometry.
Mean concentrations of markers were significantly higher (P <0.001) in PF than in the first washing. We demonstrated a significant positive correlation between marker concentrations in PF and first washing (sOPN: r = 0.447, P = 0.048; sCD44-v6: r = 0.660, P = 0.002; sVCAM-1: r = 0.526, P = 0.017). When using a smaller solution volume for washing, significantly higher (sVCAM-1: 2.5-fold, P = 0.021; sOPN: 3-fold, P = 0.024) or equal (sCD44-v6) mean concentrations of tumor markers were obtained.
Our work demonstrates for the first time that concentrations of sOPN, sCD44-v6 and sVCAM-1 in PF correlate with peritoneal washing in women with non-malignant pathology of the reproductive organs. This indicates that, for selected tumor markers, washing can replace PF when PF is absent. A standardized protocol for sampling PF and performing washing during laparoscopy was established.
This paper reviews the currently available optical sensors, their limitations and opportunities for deployment at Eddy Covariance (EC) sites in Europe. This review is based on the results obtained ...from an online survey designed and disseminated by the Co-cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action ESO903—“Spectral Sampling Tools for Vegetation Biophysical Parameters and Flux Measurements in Europe” that provided a complete view on spectral sampling activities carried out within the different research teams in European countries. The results have highlighted that a wide variety of optical sensors are in use at flux sites across Europe, and responses further demonstrated that users were not always fully aware of the key issues underpinning repeatability and the reproducibility of their spectral measurements. The key findings of this survey point towards the need for greater awareness of the need for standardisation and development of a common protocol of optical sampling at the European EC sites.
This paper reviews the currently available optical sensors, their limitations and opportunities for deployment at Eddy Covariance (EC) sites in Europe. This review is based on the results obtained ...from an online survey designed and disseminated by the Co-cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action ESO903—“Spectral Sampling Tools for Vegetation Biophysical Parameters and Flux Measurements in Europe” that provided a complete view on spectral sampling activities carried out within the different research teams in European countries. The results have highlighted that a wide variety of optical sensors are in use at flux sites across Europe, and responses further demonstrated that users were not always fully aware of the key issues underpinning repeatability and the reproducibility of their spectral measurements. The key findings of this survey point towards the need for greater awareness of the need for standardisation and development of a common protocol of optical sampling at the European EC sites.
When a tissue or an organ is considered, the attention inevitably falls on the complex and delicate mechanisms regulating the correct interaction of billions of cells that populate it. However, the ...most critical component for the functionality of specific tissue or organ is not the cell, but the cell-secreted three-dimensional structure known as the extracellular matrix (ECM). Without the presence of an adequate ECM, there would be no optimal support and stimuli for the cellular component to replicate, communicate and interact properly, thus compromising cell dynamics and behaviour and contributing to the loss of tissue-specific cellular phenotype and functions. The limitations of the current bioprosthetic implantable medical devices have led researchers to explore tissue engineering constructs, predominantly using animal tissues as a potentially unlimited source of materials. The high homology of the protein sequences that compose the mammalian ECM, can be exploited to convert a soft animal tissue into a human autologous functional and long-lasting prosthesis ensuring the viability of the cells and maintaining the proper biomechanical function. Decellularization has been shown to be a highly promising technique to generate tissue-specific ECM-derived products for multiple applications, although it might comprise very complex processes that involve the simultaneous use of chemical, biochemical, physical and enzymatic protocols. Several different approaches have been reported in the literature for the treatment of bone, cartilage, adipose, dermal, neural and cardiovascular tissues, as well as skeletal muscle, tendons and gastrointestinal tract matrices. However, most of these reports refer to experimental data. This paper reviews the most common and latest decellularization approaches that have been adopted in cardiovascular tissue engineering. The efficacy of cells removal was specifically reviewed and discussed, together with the parameters that could be used as quality control markers for the evaluation of the effectiveness of decellularization and tissue biocompatibility. The purpose was to provide a panel of parameters that can be shared and taken into consideration by the scientific community to achieve more efficient, comparable, and reliable experimental research results and a faster technology transfer to the market.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a multidimensional psychiatric disorder that is estimated to affect around 350 million people worldwide. Generating valid and effective animal models of depression ...is critical and has been challenging for neuroscience researchers. For preclinical studies, models based on stress exposure, such as unpredictable chronic mild stress (uCMS), are amongst the most reliable and used, despite presenting concerns related to the standardization of protocols and time consumption for operators. To overcome these issues, we developed an automated system to expose rodents to a standard uCMS protocol. Here, we compared manual (uCMS) and automated (auCMS) stress-exposure protocols. The data shows that the impact of the uCMS exposure by both methods was similar in terms of behavioral (cognition, mood, and anxiety) and physiological (cell proliferation and endocrine variations) measurements. Given the advantages of time and standardization, this automated method represents a step forward in this field of preclinical research.
This paper reviews the currently available optical sensors, their limitations and opportunities for deployment at Eddy Covariance (EC) sites in Europe. This review is based on the results obtained ...from an online survey designed and disseminated by the Co-cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action ESO903—“Spectral Sampling Tools for Vegetation Biophysical Parameters and Flux Measurements in Europe” that provided a complete view on spectral sampling activities carried out within the different research teams in European countries. The results have highlighted that a wide variety of optical sensors are in use at flux sites across Europe, and responses further demonstrated that users were not always fully aware of the key issues underpinning repeatability and the reproducibility of their spectral measurements. The key findings of this survey point towards the need for greater awareness of the need for standardisation and development of a common protocol of optical sampling at the European EC sites.
Artemia spp. is one of the most widespread saltwater organism suitable for ecotoxicity testing, but no internationally standardised methods exist. Several endpoints can be considered with Artemia ...spp. including short-term (24–48 h) and long-term (14 days) mortality, cysts and nauplii hatchability, biomass productivity, biomarkers' expression/inhibition and bioaccumulation on larvae as well as organisms' reproductive ability. Recently, Artemia spp. started to be used as a reference biological model in nanoecotoxicology with both inorganic and organic engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) also in combination with traditional environmental stressors looking for potential interactive effects. Criticisms were detected about the use of Artemia spp. in relation to the hatching phase, the toxicity test design, the occasional use only of reference toxicants and the way testing solution/suspensions were prepared thus potentially compromising the reliability of nanoecotoxicological results. A full list of compulsory information that must accompany Artemia nanoecotoxicity data is provided with positive feedbacks also for other toxicity bioassays.
•Artemia spp. is a biological model that started to be used in nanoecotoxicology.•Many protocols are present, but none of them is standardised.•Current nanotoxicity data with Artemia spp. are difficult to interpret.•Most authors do not provide sufficient details about toxicity test conditions.•Compulsory details that must accompany Artemia nanoecotoxicity data are provided.
This paper reviews the currently available optical sensors, their limitations and opportunities for deployment at Eddy Covariance (EC) sites in Europe. This review is based on the results obtained ...from an online survey designed and disseminated by the Co-cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action ESO903-"Spectral Sampling Tools for Vegetation Biophysical Parameters and Flux Measurements in Europe" that provided a complete view on spectral sampling activities carried out within the different research teams in European countries. The results have highlighted that a wide variety of optical sensors are in use at flux sites across Europe, and responses further demonstrated that users were not always fully aware of the key issues underpinning repeatability and the reproducibility of their spectral measurements. The key findings of this survey point towards the need for greater awareness of the need for standardisation and development of a common protocol of optical sampling at the European EC sites.
Differentiated human intestinal Caco-2 cells are frequently used in toxicology and pharmacology as in vitro models for studies on intestinal barrier functions. Since several discrepancies exist among ...the different lines and clones of Caco-2 cells, comparison of the results obtained and optimisation of models for use for regulatory purposes are particularly difficult, especially with respect to culture conditions and morphological and biochemical parameters. An inter-laboratory study has been performed on the parental cell line and on three clonal Caco-2 cell lines, with the aim of standardising the culture conditions and identifying the best cell line with respect to parameters relevant to barrier integrity, namely, trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and mannitol passage, and of epithelial differentiation (alkaline phosphatase activity). Comparison of the cell lines maintained in traditional serum-supplemented culture medium or in defined medium, containing insulin, transferrin, selenium and lipids, showed that parameter performance was better and more reproducible with the traditional medium. The maintenance of the cell lines for 15 days in culture was found to be sufficient for the development of barrier properties, but not for full epithelial differentiation. Caco-2/TC7 cells performed better than the other three cell lines, both in terms of reproducibility and performance, exhibiting low TEER and mannitol passage, and high alkaline phosphatase activity.
Protocol standards, defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), are crucial to the successful operation of the Internet. This paper presents a large-scale empirical study of IETF ...activities, with a focus on understanding collaborative activities, and how these underpin the publication of standards documents (RFCs). Using a unique dataset of 2.4 million emails, 8,711 RFCs and 4,512 authors, we examine the shifts and trends within the standards development process, showing how protocol complexity and time to produce standards has increased. With these observations in mind, we develop statistical models to understand the factors that lead to successful uptake and deployment of protocols, deriving insights to improve the standardisation process.
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