Are Changes in the Percentage of Specific Leukocyte Subpopulations Associated with Endogenous DNA Damage Levels in Testicular Cancer Patients?

Chemoresistance of germ cell tumors (GCTs) represents an intensively studied property of GCTs that is the result of a complicated multifactorial process. One of the driving factors in this process is the tumor microenvironment (TME). Intensive crosstalk between the DNA damage/DNA repair pathways and the TME has already been reported. This study aimed at evaluating the interplay between the immune TME and endogenous DNA damage levels in GCT patients. A cocultivation system consisting of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors and GCT cell lines was used in an in vitro study. The patient cohort included 74 chemotherapy-naïve GCT patients. Endogenous DNA damage levels were measured by comet assay. Immunophenotyping of leukocyte subpopulations was performed using flow cytometry. Statistical analysis included data assessing immunophenotypes, DNA damage levels and clinicopathological characteristics of enrolled patients. The DNA damage level in PBMCs cocultivated with cisplatin (CDDP)-resistant GCT cell lines was significantly higher than in PBMCs cocultivated with their sensitive counterparts. In GCT patients, endogenous DNA damage levels above the cutoff value were independently associated with increased percentages of natural killer cells, CD16-positive dendritic cells and regulatory T cells. The crosstalk between the endogenous DNA damage level and specific changes in the immune TME reflected in the blood of GCT patients was revealed. The obtained data contribute to a deeper understanding of ongoing interactions in the TME of GCTs.     

Environmental friendly polysaccharide modification – microwave‐assisted oxidation of starch

A “green” method for oxidized starch preparation was presented. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was used as the starch oxidant. Two main types of experiments were investigated: catalytic (by means of sodium tungstate – Na₂WO₄, the hydrogen peroxide activator) and non‐catalytic processes. The research covers low microwave level synthesis. Ninety and one hundred and ninety watts of microwave power were applied for the samples. All the microwave‐assisted reactions were compared to conventional ones carried out at 80 and 90°C, respectively. Reaction was monitored using manganometric determination of H₂O₂ consumption during the reaction progress. Obtained reaction products were tested by means of carbonyl and carboxyl group content. Additionally, molecular mass changes were investigated and a preliminary rheological study was done. The observed significant differences in the degree of oxidation (monitored by means of carboxyl and carbonyl group content) as well as the changes in molecular mass of polysaccharide comparing to those found at conventional conditions were showed and discussed.     

Editorial: Visual Information Communication and Interaction

Visual information has increasingly been used to enable human-human communication and knowledge discovery with the vast information, not only in typical normal displays but also in immersive environments and small mobile devices. Visual information communication and interaction synergises state-of-the-art research in visual communications, designs and applications. By marrying multi-disciplinary research works in visualization, graphical user-interface, and interaction together with art concepts and designs, it has opened a new opportunity to present and analyse information on different perspectives. This special issue of the International Journal of Software and Informatics (IJSI) on Visual Information Communication and Interaction includes five selected papers presented at the 7th International Symposium on Visual Information Communication and Interaction (VINCI''14), which was successfully held in Sydney, 5-8 August 2014. The papers have been substantially extended with at least 30% additional contents from the symposium versions. Each was also reviewed by two reviewers through a rigorous review process. They cover a wide range in information visualization, mobile web interface, interaction to design and art.     

The effects of simulated fog and motion on simulator sickness in a driving simulator and the duration of after-effects

In the study, we checked: 1) how the simulator test conditions affect the severity of simulator sickness symptoms; 2) how the severity of simulator sickness symptoms changes over time; and 3) whether the conditions of the simulator test affect the severity of these symptoms in different ways, depending on the time that has elapsed since the performance of the task in the simulator.     

Decomposition of methane in the presence of ethanol over activated carbon catalyst

The interest in hydrogen as a potential fuel of the future has stimulated development of new technologies of its production. The main method of hydrogen production is based on the process of steam reforming of methane, but recently increasing attention has been paid to the catalytic decomposition of methane (CDM) whose advantage is its pro-ecological character. This reaction, besides hydrogen, produces also catalytically low-active carbonaceous deposit which settles on the surface of the catalyst and leads to its deactivation. The study reported is an attempt at suppressing the catalyst deactivation by developing a method leading to formation of carbonaceous deposit potentially active in CDM process. For this purpose, it was proposed that the reaction system would contain methane and ethanol. Simultaneous decomposition of these two substances was performed in parallel at three temperatures of 750, 850 or 950 °C. The catalyst was activated carbon obtained from the hazelnut shells. The addition of ethanol was found to have a positive effect on the course of CDM, leading to an increase in the amount of hydrogen produced and to stabilisation of the catalyst activity at a high level.     

Expression of Alternative Splice Variants of 6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase/Fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase-4 in Normoxic and Hypoxic Melanoma Cells

Cancer-specific isoenzyme of phosphofructokinase II (PFKFB4), as our previous research has shown, may be one of the most important enzymes contributing to the intensification of glycolysis in hypoxic malignant melanoma cells. Although the PFKFB4 gene seems to play a crucial role in the progression of melanoma, so far there are no complete data on the expression of PFKFB4 at the isoform level and the influence of hypoxia on alternative splicing. Using RT-qPCR and semi-quantitative RT-PCR, we presented the PFKFB4 gene expression profile at the level of six isoforms described in the OMIM NCBI database in normoxic and hypoxic melanoma cells. Additionally, using VMD software, we analyzed the structure of isoforms at the protein level, concluding about the catalytic activity of individual isoforms. Our research has shown that five isoforms of PFKFB4 are expressed in melanoma cells, of which the D and F isoforms are highly constitutive, while the canonical B isoform seems to be the main isoform induced in hypoxia. Our results also indicate that the expression profile at the level of the PFKFB4 gene does not reflect the expression at the level of individual isoforms. Our work clearly indicates that the PFKFB4 gene expression profile should be definitely analyzed at the level of individual isoforms. Moreover, the analysis at the protein level allowed the selection of those isoforms whose functional validation should be performed to fully understand the importance of PFKFB4 expression in the metabolic adaptation of malignant melanoma cells.     

Physicochemical characterization of corn–sorghum nixtamalized flours as a function of the steeping time

This work focused on the study of the physicochemical properties of nixtamalized corn and sorghum flours, as well as combined nixtamalized corn–sorghum flours with 10, 20, and 30 % of sorghum. The removal of the sorghum pericarp during nixtamalization depends on the steeping time and strongly influences the water and calcium uptake. The absence of the waxy layer in sorghum grain allows a faster water uptake in relation to corn grain. Changes in the pericarp structure during the steeping time govern the Ca absorption in sorghum grain. The partial removal of the pericarp and the most external layers of the endosperm produce the decrease in phosphorous content for corn and sorghum. The Ca/P ratio of nixtamalized corn/sorghum flours is greater than 1 for steeping time up to 3 h. Therefore, this fact could help the increase of Ca in the daily diet. Amylopectin is the predominant macromolecule in both starches. The pasting profiles showed a decrease in peak viscosity when the sorghum fraction increases; this is due to increases in fiber.     

Procoagulant Extracellular Vesicles Alter Trophoblast Differentiation in Mice by a Thrombo-Inflammatory Mechanism

Procoagulant extracellular vesicles (EV) and platelet activation have been associated with gestational vascular complications. EV-induced platelet-mediated placental inflammasome activation has been shown to cause preeclampsia-like symptoms in mice. However, the effect of EV-mediated placental thrombo-inflammation on trophoblast differentiation remains unknown. Here, we identify that the EV-induced thrombo-inflammatory pathway modulates trophoblast morphology and differentiation. EVs and platelets reduce syncytiotrophoblast differentiation while increasing giant trophoblast and spongiotrophoblast including the glycogen-rich cells. These effects are platelet-dependent and mediated by the NLRP3 inflammasome. In humans, inflammasome activation was negatively correlated with trophoblast differentiation marker GCM1 and positively correlated with blood pressure. These data identify a crucial role of EV-induced placental thrombo-inflammation on altering trophoblast differentiation and suggest platelet activation or inflammasome activation as a therapeutic target in order to achieve successful placentation.