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Metastatic prostate cancer is currently incurable. Metastasis is thought to result from changes in the expression of specific metastasis-driving genes in nonmetastatic prostate cancer tissue, leading to a cascade of activated downstream genes that set the metastatic process in motion. Such genes could potentially serve as effective therapeutic targets for improved management of the disease. They could be identified by comparative analysis of gene expression profiles of patient-derived metastatic and nonmetastatic prostate cancer tissues to pinpoint genes showing altered expression, followed by determining whether silencing of such genes can lead to inhibition of metastatic properties. Various hurdles encountered in this approach are discussed, including (i) the need for clinically relevant, nonmetastatic and metastatic prostate cancer tissues such as xenografts of patients' prostate cancers developed via subrenal capsule grafting technology and (ii) limitations in the currently available methodology for identification of master regulatory genes.

As the result of the ecological impacts from the use of tributyltins (TBT) in shipping, environmental legislation for the registration of chemicals for use in the environment has grown to a monumental challenge requiring product dossiers to include information on the environmental fate and behavior of any chemicals. Specifically, persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity, collectively known as PBT, are properties of concern in the assessment of chemicals. However, existing measurements of PBT properties are a cumbersome and expensive process, and thus not applied in the early stages of the product discovery and development. Inexpensive methods for preliminary PBT screening would minimize risks arising with the subsequent registration of products. In this article, we evaluated the PBT properties of compounds reported to possess anti-fouling properties using QSAR (quantitative structure-activity relationship) prediction programs such as BIOWIN™ (a biodegradation probability program), KOWWIN™ (log octanol-water partition coefficient calculation program) and ECOSAR™ (Ecological Structure Activity Relationship Programme). The analyses identified some small (Mr < 400) synthetic and natural products as potential candidates for environmentally benign biocides. We aim to demonstrate that while these methods of estimation have limitations, when applied with discretion, they are powerful tools useful in the early stages of research for compound selection for further development as anti-foulants.

Decellularization is a promising new method to prepare natural matrices for tissue regeneration. Successful decellularization has been reported using various tissues including skin, tendon, and cartilage, though studies using hard tissue such as bone are lacking. In this study, we aimed to define the optimal experimental parameters to decellularize natural bone matrix using 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate and 0.1% NH 4 OH. Then, the effects of decellularized bone matrix on rat mesenchymal stem cell proliferation, osteogenic gene expression, and osteogenic differentiations in a two-dimensional culture system were investigated. Decellularized bone was also evaluated with regard to cytotoxicity, biochemical, and mechanical characteristics in vitro. Evidence of complete decellularization was shown through hematoxylin and eosin staining and DNA measurements. Decellularized bone matrix displayed a cytocompatible property, conserved structure, mechanical strength, and mineral content comparable to natural bone. To study new bone formation, implantation of decellularized bone matrix particles seeded with rat mesenchymal stem cells was conducted using an orthotopic in vivo model. After 3 months post-implantation into a critical-sized defect in rat calvaria, new bone was formed around decellularized bone matrix particles and also merged with new bone between decellularized bone matrix particles. New bone formation was analyzed with micro computed tomography, mineral apposition rate, and histomorphometry. Decellularized bone matrix stimulated mesenchymal stem cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in vitro and in vivo, achieving effective bone regeneration and thereby serving as a promising biological bone graft.

Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) is proposed to process the seismic response recordings in an 8-story frame-shear wall base-isolated building. Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method is first applied to identify the time variant characteristics and the data series can be decomposed into several components. Hilbert transform is well-behaved in identifying the frequency components. The first 5 intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are decomposed with their different frequencies. The analytical function is reconstructed and compared with the original signal. They are extremely consistent in amplitude and phase. Based on the IMFs obtained, frequencies of the original signal are inferred at 5 Hz and 1.6 Hz. The higher frequency is regarded as the vibration excited by surface waves. 1.6 Hz is suggested as the dominant frequency of the building. Analysis indicates that HHT is accurate in extracting the dynamic characteristics of structural systems.

The employment of monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) to identify disease-associated biomarkers in clinical samples represents the underlying principle for many diagnostic tests. To date, these have been principally developed for protein targets with few reported applications for lipids due to their hydrophobicity and poor immunogenicity. Oxysterols represent a family of lipids implicated in diverse human diseases where Mab-based detection assays could have a profound effect on their utility as clinical biomarkers. These are usually identified in patients’ samples by mass- spectrometry based approaches. Here, we describe an antibody phage-library based screening methodology for generating a recombinant monoclonal antibody (RAb) targeting the oxysterol-15-ketocholestane (15-KA), a lipid implicated in multiple sclerosis and Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE). The antibody is highly specific for 15-KA and shows little or no binding activity for other closely related oxysterols. We employ RAb2E9 to address the controversy over whether 15-KA is a true biomarker for MS/EAE and show that 15-KA is undetectable in serum taken from mice with EAE using antibody based detection methodologies; a finding confirmed by mass-spectrometry analysis. This study demonstrates the technical feasibility of using phage display to isolate highly specific antibodies against poorly immunogenic, small molecule lipids.

Artificial reconstruction of three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel microstructures would greatly contribute to tissue assembly in vitro, and has been widely applied in tissue engineering and drug screening. Recent technological advances in the assembly of functional hydrogel microstructures such as microfluidic, 3D bioprinting, and micromold-based 3D hydrogel fabrication methods have enabled the formation of 3D tissue constructs. However, they still lack flexibility and high efficiency, which restrict their application in 3D tissue constructs. Alternatively, we report a feasible method for the fabrication and reconstruction of customized 3D hydrogel blocks. Arbitrary hydrogel microstructures were fabricated in situ via flexible and rapid light-addressable electrodeposition. To demonstrate the versatility of this method, the higher-order assembly of 3D hydrogel blocks was investigated using a constant direct current (DC) voltage (6 V) applied between two electrodes for 20–120 s. In addition to the plane-based two-dimensional (2D) assembly, hierarchical structures—including multi-layer 3D hydrogel structures and vessel-shaped structures—could be assembled using the proposed method. Overall, we developed a platform that enables researchers to construct complex 3D hydrogel microstructures efficiently and simply, which has the potential to facilitate research on drug screening and 3D tissue constructs.

This research aims at researching one high efficiency gas-liquid mixer which can be applied under high gas content condition and can overcome the limited application of sedimentation and rotary oil-gas separator for electric submersible pump. Standard k-ε model and population balance model of the Fluent are applied to simulate the gas-liquid two-phase flow in high efficiency gas-liquid mixer. The internal flow field of impeller opening with different radius and amounts are simulated. The gas holding mechanism of high efficiency gas-liquid mixer is also analyzed. Then according to the gas particle size at the output of impeller, the optimized structure parameter can be obtained. The simulation results show that part of the high pressure liquid at impeller outlet would form cross flow with fluid in normal flowing inside the impeller passage to produce strong shear friction inside the area and burst a large amount of bubbles accumulated in the area. Also, it is proved to be more beneficial for breaking bubble and dealing with gas under the circumstances that gas content at the input is higher than 35%, opening diameter of impeller is Φ4.8mm and opening amount of impeller is 2.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a continuous membrane network in eukaryotic cells comprising the nuclear envelope, the rough ER, and the smooth ER. The ER has multiple critical functions and a characteristic structure. In this study, we identified a new protein of the ER, TMCC1 (transmembrane and coiled-coil domain family 1). The TMCC family consists of at least 3 putative proteins (TMCC1-3) that are conserved from nematode to human. We show that TMCC1 is an ER protein that is expressed in diverse human cell lines. TMCC1 contains 2 adjacent transmembrane domains near the C-terminus, in addition to coiled-coil domains. TMCC1 was targeted to the rough ER through the transmembrane domains, whereas the N-terminal region and C-terminal tail of TMCC1 were found to reside in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the cytosolic region of TMCC1 formed homo- or hetero-dimers or oligomers with other TMCC proteins and interacted with ribosomal proteins. Notably, overexpression of TMCC1 or its transmembrane domains caused defects in ER morphology. Our results suggest roles of TMCC1 in ER organization.

T cell exhaustion limits antitumor immunity, but the molecular determinants of this process remain poorly understood. Using a chronic stimulation assay, we performed genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens to systematically discover regulators of T cell exhaustion, which identified an enrichment of epigenetic factors. In vivo CRISPR screens in murine and human tumor models demonstrated that perturbation of the INO80 and BAF chromatin remodeling complexes improved T cell persistence in tumors. In vivo Perturb-seq revealed distinct transcriptional roles of each complex and that depletion of canonical BAF complex members, including Arid1a, resulted in the maintenance of an effector program and downregulation of exhaustion-related genes in tumor-infiltrating T cells. Finally, Arid1a depletion limited the acquisition of exhaustion-associated chromatin accessibility and led to improved antitumor immunity. In summary, we provide an atlas of the genetic regulators of T cell exhaustion and demonstrate that modulation of epigenetic state can improve T cell responses in cancer immunotherapy.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by broad clinical manifestations including cardiovascular and renal complications with periodic disease flares and significant morbidity and mortality. One of the main contributing factors to the pathology of SLE is the accumulation and impaired clearance of immune complexes of which the principle components are host auto-antigens and antibodies. The contribution of host lipids to the formation of these autoimmune complexes remains poorly defined. The aim of the present study was to identify and analyze candidate lipid autoantigens and their corresponding anti-lipid antibody responses in a well-defined SLE patient cohort using a combination of immunological and biophysical techniques. Disease monitoring in the SLE cohort was undertaken with serial British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) scoring. Correlations between specific lipid/anti-lipid responses were investigated as disease activity developed from active flares to quiescent during a follow up period. We report a significant negative correlation between anti-lipid antibodies for 24S-hydroxycholesterol, cardiolipin and phosphatidylserine with SLE disease activity. Taken together, these data suggest that lipid autoantigens represent a new family of biomarkers that can be employed to monitor disease activity plus the efficacy of therapeutic intervention in SLE.