Resorbable continuous-fibre reinforced polymers for osteosynthesis

Four institutes from three countries in the European Union have collaborated under the BRITE–EURAM framework programme for the development of processing technologies for resorbable osteosynthesis devices. The devices should be continuous-fibre reinforced, and the technology should offer the possibility of orienting the fibres in the main trajectories. Poly-L-lactide and poly-L–DL-lactides have been synthesized for reinforcement fibres and matrix material, respectively. Melt-spun P-L-LA fibres of a strength of 800 MPa have been embedded in an amorphous P-L–DL-LA 70 : 30 matrix by compression moulding. Ethyleneoxide sterilized samples have been tested in vitro and in vivo. A satisfying bending modulus has been reached (6 GPa). Yet with 50% strength retention after ten weeks, fast degradation occurred that could be related to residual monomers. By this fast degradation 70% resorption after one year could be observed in the non-functional animal studies in rabbits. There was only a mild inflammatory reaction, which confirmed the good biocompatibility of the materials even during the resorption period. Further effort has to concentrate on the reduction of initial monomer content. The great advantage of the processing method to orient fibres in the device will be utilized in prototype samples, e.g. an osteosynthesis plate with fixation holes. © 1998 Chapman & Hall     

Modeling the crop transpiration using an optimality-based approach

Evapotranspiration constitutes more than 80% of the long-term water balance in Northern China.In this area,crop transpiration due to large areas of agriculture and irrigation is responsible for the majority of evapotranspiration.A model for crop transpiration is therefore essential for estimating the agricultural water consumption and understanding its feedback to the environment.However,most existing hydrological models usually calculate transpiration by relying on parameter calibration against local obser...     

New non-woven polyurethane-based biomaterials for the cultivation of hepatocytes: expression of differentiated functions

A new non-woven polyetherurethane support suitable to host cultured hepatocytes has been developed. Prior to its use in bioreactors and artificial liver devices, the biocompatibility of this new material was investigated. The experiments have shown that the survival and functionality of hepatocytes entrapped in the non-woven polymer were longer than that of monolayer cultured hepatocytes, under serum-free culture conditions. Hepatic specific metabolic functions, namely, synthesis of urea and synthesis and secretion of plasma proteins, were well maintained by hepatocytes entrapped in non-woven polyetherurethane sheets. Cells also retained the expression of biotransformation activities of 7-ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylase as well as CYP2A1, CYP2B1 and CYP3A1. The results presented in this paper point to non-woven polyetherurethane sheets as a suitable biocompatible support for functional, three-dimensional hepatocyte cultures.     

PD-L1 Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Specimens: Association with Clinicopathological Factors and Molecular Alterations

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) targeting programmed cell death-1 or its ligand (PD-L1) have improved outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). High tumor PD-L1 expression, detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) typically on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) histological specimens, is linked to better response. Following our previous investigation on PD-L1 in cytological samples, the aim of this study was to further explore the potential impacts of various clinicopathological and molecular factors on PD-L1 expression. Two retrospective NSCLC cohorts of 1131 and 651 specimens, respectively, were investigated for PD-L1 expression (<1%/1–49%/≥50%), sample type, sample site, histological type, and oncogenic driver status. In both cohorts, PD-L1 was positive (≥1%) in 55% of the cases. Adenocarcinomas exhibited lower PD-L1 expression than squamous cell carcinomas (p < 0.0001), while there was no difference between sample types, tumor locations, or between the two cohorts in multivariate analysis (all p ≥ 0.28). Mutational status correlated significantly with PD-L1 expression (p < 0.0001), with the highest expression for KRAS-mutated cases, the lowest for EGFR-mutated, and the KRAS/EGFR wild-type cases in between. There was no difference in PD-L1 levels between different prevalent KRAS mutations (all p ≥ 0.44), while mucinous KRAS-mutated adenocarcinomas exhibited much lower PD-L1 expression than non-mucinous (p < 0.0001). Our data indicate that cytological and histological specimens are comparable for PD-L1 evaluation. Given the impact of KRAS mutations and the mucinous growth pattern on PD-L1 expression, these factors should be further investigated in studies on ICI response.