Cancer Microenvironment: What Can We Learn from the Stem Cell Niche

Epidermal stem cells (ESCs) are crucial for maintenance and self- renewal of skin epithelium and also for regular hair cycling. Their role in wound healing is also indispensable. ESCs reside in a defined outer root sheath portion of hair follicle—also known as the bulge region. ECS are also found between basal cells of the interfollicular epidermis or mucous membranes. The non-epithelial elements such as mesenchymal stem cell-like elements of dermis or surrounding adipose tissue can also contribute to this niche formation. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) participate in formation of common epithelial malignant diseases such as basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma. In this review article, we focus on the role of cancer microenvironment with emphasis on the effect of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). This model reflects various biological aspects of interaction between cancer cell and CAFs with multiple parallels to interaction of normal epidermal stem cells and their niche. The complexity of intercellular interactions within tumor stroma is depicted on example of malignant melanoma, where keratinocytes also contribute the microenvironmental landscape during early phase of tumor progression. Interactions seen in normal bulge region can therefore be an important source of information for proper understanding to melanoma. The therapeutic consequences of targeting of microenvironment in anticancer therapy and for improved wound healing are included to article.     

Decomposition of MgSiN2 in nitrogen atmosphere

Magnesium silicon nitride MgSiN₂ was prepared by direct nitridation of Si/Mg₂Si/Mg/Si₃N₄ powder compact in a temperature range 1350-1420 °C. The thermal stability examination showed that MgSiN₂ is stable up to 1400 °C at 0.1 MPa N₂ pressure. The activation energy of decomposition of MgSiN₂ calculated from the temperature dependence of mass loss in the range of 1400-1650 °C is ΔH = 501 kJ mol⁻¹. The time dependence and nitrogen pressure dependence of MgSiN₂ decomposition was also investigated at constant temperature. MgSiN₂ is stable at 1560 °C in 0.6 MPa nitrogen atmosphere. Using these experimental data together with the heat capacity published in a literature the Gibbs energy of formation of MgSiN₂ was calculated in a temperature range 25-2200 °C.     

Tetradecylthioacetic Acid Increases Hepatic Mitochondrial β-Oxidation and Alters Fatty Acid Composition in a Mouse Model of Chronic Inflammation

The administration of tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA), a hypolipidemic and anti-inflammatory modified bioactive fatty acid, has in several experiments based on high fat diets been shown to improve lipid transport and utilization. It was suggested that increased mitochondrial and peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation in the liver of Wistar rats results in reduced plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) levels. Here we assessed the potential of TTA to prevent tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α-induced lipid modifications in human TNFα (hTNFα) transgenic mice. These mice are characterized by reduced β-oxidation and changed fatty acid composition in the liver. The effect of dietary treatment with TTA on persistent, low-grade hTNFα overexpression in mice showed a beneficial effect through decreasing TAG plasma concentrations and positively affecting saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid proportions in the liver, leading to an increased anti-inflammatory fatty acid index in this group. We also observed an increase of mitochondrial β-oxidation in the livers of TTA treated mice. Concomitantly, there were enhanced plasma levels of carnitine, acetyl carnitine, propionyl carnitine, and octanoyl carnitine, no changed levels in trimethyllysine and palmitoyl carnitine, and a decreased level of the precursor for carnitine, called γ-butyrobetaine. Nevertheless, TTA administration led to increased hepatic TAG levels that warrant further investigations to ascertain that TTA may be a promising candidate for use in the amelioration of inflammatory disorders characterized by changed lipid metabolism due to raised TNFα levels.     

Zirconium oxycarbides and oxycarbonitrides: A review

Zirconium oxycarbides and zirconium oxycarbonitrides are high-temperature ceramic materials with great potential for applications in advanced technologies due to their good refractoriness, mechanical and thermoelectric properties, and corrosion resistance. The properties of ZrCO(N) materials strongly depend on their composition. However, the stoichiometry of stable ZrCO(N) compounds, synthesis chemistry, and thermodynamics of the proceeding reactions require clarification. This review comprehensively interprets data for ZrCO and ZrCON ceramics, including studies that may not have been addressed in prior reviews. It summarizes the state-of-the-art synthesis procedures involving reactions between commonly used zirconia, zirconium carbide, and carbon black, along with other zirconium sources widely used in the last few decades for the preparation of ZrCO(N) materials. The controversial reaction mechanisms of carbothermal reduction of zirconia and the role of CO gas in this process are discussed. The properties of ZrCO and ZrCON and their possible applications are also summarized.     

医用TC4钛合金激光-化学复合抛光及表面形貌演化

表面粗糙度是医疗器械构件最重要的质量特征之一,然而现有的激光抛光、化学抛光等单一表面抛光技术存在一定局限性。针对医用 TC4 钛合金表面的精密抛光需求,设计并搭建一套激光-化学复合抛光系统,通过激光-化学复合加工材料去除机理分析和开展 TC4 钛合金的激光-化学复合抛光试验,深入探究复合抛光过程中不同抛光阶段材料表面形貌的演变过程及粗糙度变化并进行分析,进而明确激光-化学复合抛光机理。研究结果表明,激光-化学复合抛光材料去除是基于激光热-力效应与激光诱导化学腐蚀溶解共同作用的结果,而且两者具有一定协同效应,在适当的工艺窗口内,化学腐蚀溶解可以完全去除激光烧蚀产生的残渣和重熔物。激光辐照会在工件表面“峰-谷”区域产生温度差,进而导致化学溶解速率差异,即“山峰”区域溶解速率快,“山谷”区域溶解速率慢,从而实现表面粗糙度的降低。最后采用合适的工艺参数,优化了抛光效果, 实现了医用 TC4 钛合金的选择性精密抛光,激光辐照区域表面粗糙度 Ra 由初始的 5.230 μm 下降至 0.225 μm, Sa 由初始的 8.630 μm 下降至 0.571 μm,分别下降 95.7%和 93.4%。研究结果可为钛合金或其他自钝化金属的精密抛光提供参考。     

Influence of thermal cycling on shear strength of Cu–Sn3.5AgIn–Cu joints with various content of indium

This work presents an investigation on the influence of thermal cycling of Cu–Sn3.5AgIn–Cu joints for various content of indium. Solders Sn–3.5Ag containing 0, 6.5 and 9 mass% In were prepared by rapid quenching of appropriate alloys. Joints Cu–solder–Cu were prepared in furnace at 280 °C and 1800 s. Thermal cycling was in the interval room temperature (RT)–150 °C up to 1000 cycles and in the interval RT–180 °C for 500 cycles. The shear strength of the joints with indium-free solder decreases with increasing number of cycles. On the contrary shear strength of joints with indium containing solders increases with increasing number of cycles. It is related with the thickness of Cu₆Sn₅ phase which makes the interface between Cu substrate and solder. In the first case the thickness of this phase is growing with increasing number of cycles, in the second case the amount of this phase is reducing with increasing the number of cycles due to the support of dissolution of copper from Cu₆Sn₅ phase into the Sn–Ag–In solder by indium. X-ray diffraction analysis of original solders as well as of uncycled and 1000 times cycled joints made with all three kinds of solders is given.     

Fractographic Montage for a Si3N4–SiC Nanocomposite

A silicon nitride–silicon carbide nanocomposite has been prepared by an in situ method that utilizes C+SiO₂ carbo-thermal reduction during the sintering process. The materials consist of a silicon nitride matrix, with an average grain size of 140 nm, and inter- and intragranular SiC particles with sizes of approximately 250 and 45 nm, respectively. The four-point bending strength and its distribution were investigated. The fracture origins were identified and characterized using fractographic methods, and a fractographic montage of the Weibull plot and fracture origins was constructed. The fracture origins were subsurface and volume located processing defects with sizes from 5 to 460 μm, mainly in the form of clusters of pores, together with clusters of large SiC grains.     

Effect of fermentation on the composition of the red beet pigments

Summary This paper deals with changes in the repre sentation of pigments in red beet (Beta vulgaris, var.rubra) during prepration of the pigment by fermentation under different conditions. For the separation of pigments, HPLC and gel chromatography were used. On a column of Sephadex G-25 the fermented juice was separated into five colour bands in which products of enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning were identified, as well as a mixture of vulgaxanthines and betacyanides, betanine and isobetanine, betanidine and isobetanidine. The last zone contained betalamic acid and yellow decomposition products which were not exactly defined.

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Der Einfluß der Fermentierung auf die Zusammensetzung der Rote-Rüben-Farbstoffe

Zusammenfassung Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Änderungen der Farbstoffe der Roten Rüben (Beta vulgaris, var.rubrum) während der Herstellung eines färbenden Präparates durch Fermentierung unter verschiedenen Bedingungen. Zur Abtrennung der Farbstoffe wurden die HPLC und die Gelchromatographie angewendet. An einer Sephadex-G-25-Säule wurde der fermentierte Saft in fiinf Farbzonen getrennt, in denen Produkte des enzymatischen und nicht-enzymatischen Braunwerdens, eine Mischung von Vulga xanthinen und Betacyanen, Betanin und Isobetanin, Betanidin und Isobetanidin identifiziert wurden. Die letzte Zone wurde von der Betalamsäure und nicht näher identifizierten gelben Zersetzungsprodukten gebildet.

     

A minimum-area circuit forl-selection

We prove tight upper and lower bounds on the area of semelective, when-oblivious VLSI circuits for the problem ofl-selection. The area required to select thelth smallest ofn k-bit integers is found to be heavily dependent on the relative sizes ofl,k, andn. Whenl<2 ^k , the minimal area isA = Θ(minn,l(k-logl)). Whenl≥2 ^k ,A = Θ(2 ^k (logl-k + 1)).