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Scaffold microstructures were developed to mimic a three-dimensional extracellular matrix in studying cell migration and invasion. The multiple-layer scaffold platforms were designed to investigate cell migration and separation from top to bottom layer. Two cell lines including immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial (NP460) cells and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC43) cells with Epstein-Barr virus were compared in this study. On one-layer platforms with trench depth of 15 µm, both NP460 and NPC43 cells were guided to migrate along the 18-µm-wide trenches, and exhibited random migration directions when the trench width was 10 or 50 µm. Nearly no cell was found to migrate in the 10-µm-wide trenches on one-layer platforms. However, the NP460 and NPC43 cells showed very different probability in the narrow trenches on two-layer platforms, making it possible to separate the nasopharyngeal epithelial cells from the carcinoma cells. Moreover, 1-µm deep grating topography on the top layer inhibited NP460 cells to migrate from top ridges to the 10-µm-wide trenches, but promoted such behavior for NPC43 cells. The results demonstrated in This study suggest that the engineered multiple-layer scaffold platforms could be used to separate carcinoma cells in NPC tumor as a potential treatment of NPC., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: To describe the clinical characteristics and factors associated with CD4 T-cell count and CD4/CD8 ratio restoration in HIV mono-infected and HIV/HBV co-infected individuals, and to explore liver and renal functional changes in both groups., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed including 356 HIV/HBV co-infected and 716 HIV mono-infected participants who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) during 2013-2017 in Beijing Youan Hospital, China. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between the two groups, using χ 2 and Mann-Whitney non-parametric tests. Bivariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to test their association., Results: Baseline HIV viral load and ART regimen were found to be significantly associated with CD4 T-cell restoration among HIV-infected participants, whereas baseline HIV viral load was the only significant factor associated with CD4 T-cell restoration in HIV/HBV co-infected participants. The final model showed that baseline HIV viral load and ART regimen were significantly associated with CD4/CD8 ratio restoration among HIV-infected participants, while baseline HIV viral load was the significant factor. Liver and renal functions were similar at the endpoint (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: Baseline HIV viral load count was found to be the key factor affecting immune restoration in both HIV and HIV/HBV individuals. Future multi-wave prospective studies are needed to clarify the potential biological mechanism., (© 2020 British HIV Association.)

Ion-beam-sputtering/mixing deposition was used to produce thin calcium phosphate coatings on titanium substrate from the hydroxyapatite target. The mixing beam could be either Ar(+) or N(+) ions. It was found that as-deposited coatings were amorphous. No distinct peak of the hydroxyl group was observed in FTIR spectra of the coatings, but new spectral peaks, brought about during the deposition process, were present for CO(3)(2-). Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the deposited coatings had a uniform and dense structure. The calcium-to-phosphorous ratio of these coatings varied between 2.0 and 3.0. Compared with the calcium phosphate coatings produced by Ar(+) beam-mixing deposition, the calcium phosphate coatings produced by N(+) beam-mixing deposition exhibited a higher dissolution rate in the physiologic saline solution and showed a lower proliferation rate of osteoblast cells., (Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 55: 587-595, 2001)

Whether borderline serous tumors of the ovary can be differentiated from invasive serous cystadenocarcinomas by morphometric analysis of nuclear features of the neoplastic epithelium was examined. Multiple descriptors extracted from nuclear tracings and intranuclear gray-level analysis of argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions were evaluated in 11 borderline and 18 invasive tumors using computerized interactive morphometric analysis. These descriptors included: nuclear area and perimeter; number, area, and perimeter of argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions; standard deviations of these findings; and a size distribution of nuclear areas in discrete classes. Multivariate statistical analysis showed the internal consistency of the two groups in terms of physical descriptors and the discriminating value of the parameters of nuclear size and pleomorphism (independently of nucleolar organizer region parameters). The results indicated that interactive morphometric analysis of nuclear features, combined with appropriate statistical methods, could be used to distinguish between these tumors.