PCR detection of Bifidobacterium strains and Streptococcus thermophilus in feces of human subjects after oral bacteriotherapy and yogurt consumption

Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium infantis Y1 and Bifidobacterium breve Y8 strains were identified and enumerated by PCR assay in human fecal samples after intake of the pharmaceutical preparation VSL-3 or yogurt. ThI/ThII primer set, specific for S. thermophilus, was selected testing its specificity against several strains of enterococci, streptococci and other genera colonizing the human intestine. A culture-independent PCR protocol, developed in this study, allowed to directly detect and enumerate S. thermophilus in human feces, excluding culture-based techniques or time consuming DNA isolation and purification procedures. Intestinal persistence of S. thermophilus was studied in feces of 10 healthy subjects given VSL-3 or yogurt. Streptococcal population was detected after 3 days of administration and persisted for 6 days after the treatment suspension. In the same trial, the colonization kinetics of B. infantis Y1 and B. breve Y8 were studied by amplification of colonies with the strain-specific primer sets InfY-BV.L/R and BreY-BV.R/L, showing a host-dependent transient colonization behaviour. PCR analysis of feces from 10 patients affected by inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and treated with VSL-3 for 2 months showed a colonization pattern of S. thermophilus, B. infantis Y1 and B. breve Y8 similar to that observed with the healthy subjects.     

Coordinating multiagent applications on the WWW: a referencearchitecture

The original Web did not support multiuser, interactive applications. This shortcoming is being studied, and several approaches have been proposed to use the Web as a platform for programming Internet applications. However, most existing approaches are oriented to centralized applications at servers, or local programs within clients. To overcome this deficit, we introduce PageSpace, that is a reference architecture for designing interactive multiagent applications. We describe how we control agents in PageSpace, using variants of the coordination language Linda to guide their interactions. Coordination technology is integrated with the standard Web technology and the programming language Java. Several kinds of agents live in the PageSpace: user interface agents, personal homeagents, agents that implement applications, and agents which interoperate with legacy systems. Within our architecture, it is possible to support fault-tolerance and mobile agents as well     

Synthesis and characterization of α-methylstyrene-butadiene-α-methylstyrene linear block copolymers

Summary -methylstyrene-butadiene- -methylstyrene linear block copolymers with a pure block structure were prepared by sec-butyllithium and coupling agent in a four-step process. Their morphology is built up of microdomains of poly- -methylstyrene, including the unbonded segments, dispersed in a polybutadiene matrix. Cylindrical domains arranged in a hexagonal lattice or irregularly shaped domains in a disordered phase are observed, depending on the molecular weight of the poly- -methylstyrene segment.     

Kinetic friction for multi-material arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian extended finite element formulations

An extended finite element method (X-FEM) for classical kinetic friction laws in a multi-material arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (MMALE) formulation is presented. The velocities of the nodes containing more than one material in their support are updated through the nodal accelerations to account for the kinetic friction effects. Numerical results are presented and discussed. Army Research Organization; contract/grant number: DAAD19-02-1-0266.     

Liver Steatosis and Steatohepatitis Alter Bile Acid Receptors in Brain and Induce Neuroinflammation: A Contribution of Circulating Bile Acids and Blood-Brain Barrier

A tight relationship between gut-liver diseases and brain functions has recently emerged. Bile acid (BA) receptors, bacterial-derived molecules and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) play key roles in this association. This study was aimed to evaluate how non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) impact the BA receptors Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and Takeda G-protein coupled receptor 5 (TGR5) expression in the brain and to correlate these effects with circulating BAs composition, BBB integrity and neuroinflammation. A mouse model of NAFLD was set up by a high-fat and sugar diet, and NASH was induced with the supplementation of dextran-sulfate-sodium (DSS) in drinking water. FXR, TGR5 and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1) expression in the brain was detected by immunohistochemistry, while Zonula occludens (ZO)-1, Occludin and Plasmalemmal Vesicle Associated Protein-1 (PV-1) were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Biochemical analyses investigated serum BA composition, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) and S100β protein (S100β) levels. Results showed a down-regulation of FXR in NASH and an up-regulation of TGR5 and Iba-1 in the cortex and hippocampus in both treated groups as compared to the control group. The BA composition was altered in the serum of both treated groups, and LBP and S100β were significantly augmented in NASH. ZO-1 and Occludin were attenuated in the brain capillary endothelial cells of both treated groups versus the control group. We demonstrated that NAFLD and NASH provoke different grades of brain dysfunction, which are characterized by the altered expression of BA receptors, FXR and TGR5, and activation of microglia. These effects are somewhat promoted by a modification of circulating BAs composition and by an increase in LBP that concur to damage BBB, thus favoring neuroinflammation.     

Biological Evaluation of 3-Azaspiro[Bicyclo[3.1.0]Hexane-2,5′-Pyrimidines] as Potential Antitumor Agents

A series of heterocyclic compounds containing spirofused barbiturate and 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane frameworks have been studied as potential antitumor agents. Antiproliferative activity of products was screened in human erythroleukemia (K562), T lymphocyte (Jurkat), and cervical carcinoma (HeLa) as well as mouse colon carcinoma (CT26) and African green monkey kidney epithelial (Vero) cell lines. The most effective among the screened compounds show IC₅₀ in the range from 4.2 to 24.1 μM for all tested cell lines. The screened compounds have demonstrated a significant effect of the distribution of HeLa and CT26 cells across the cell cycle stage, with accumulation of cells in SubG1 phase and induced apoptosis. It was found, using a confocal microscopy, that actin filaments disappeared and granular actin was distributed diffusely in the cytoplasm of up to 90% of HeLa cells and up to 64% of CT26 cells after treatment with tested 3-azaspiro[bicyclo [3.1.0]hexane-2,5′-pyrimidines]. We discovered that the number of HeLa cells with filopodium-like membrane protrusions was reduced significantly (from 91% in control cells to 35%) after treatment with the most active compounds. A decrease in cell motility was also noticed. Preliminary in vivo experiments on the impact of the studied compounds on the dynamics of CT26 tumor growth in Balb/C mice were also performed.     

Integrated Antitumor Activities of Cellular Immunotherapy with CIK Lymphocytes and Interferons against KIT/PDGFRA Wild Type GIST

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare, mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by either KIT or PDGFRA mutation in about 85% of cases. KIT/PDGFRA wild type gastrointestinal stromal tumors (wtGIST) account for the remaining 15% of GIST and represent an unmet medical need: their prevalence and potential medical vulnerabilities are not completely defined, and effective therapeutic strategies are still lacking. In this study we set a patient-derived preclinical model of wtGIST to investigate their phenotypic features, along with their susceptibility to cellular immunotherapy with cytokine-induced killer lymphocytes (CIK) and interferons (IFN). We generated 11 wtGIST primary cell lines (wtGISTc). The main CIK ligands (MIC A/B; ULBPs), along with PD-L1/2, were expressed by wtGISTc and the expression of HLA-I molecules was preserved. Patient-derived CIK were capable of intense killing in vitro against wtGISTc resistant to both imatinib and sunitinib. We found that CIK produce a high level of granzyme B, IFNα and IFNγ. CIK-conditioned supernatant was responsible for part of the observed tumoricidal effect, along with positive bystander modulatory activities enhancing the expression of PD-L1/2 and HLA-I molecules. IFNα, but not In, had direct antitumor effects on 50% (4/8) of TKI-resistant wtGISTc, positively correlated with the tumor expression of IFN receptors. wtGIST cells that survived IFNα were still sensitive to CIK immunotherapy. Our data support the exploration of CIK immunotherapy in clinical studies for TKI-resistant wtGIST, proposing reevaluation for IFNα within this challenging setting.     

提高悬浮浸渍开孔泡沫Inconel 625高温合金的烧结动力学和成分均匀性

采用悬浮液浸渍法制备开孔泡沫Inconel 625高温合金,先用混合粉末悬浮液复制纯镍泡沫带,然后进行热处理.本研究的目的是寻找一种合适的方法,在不使用低熔点添加剂的情况下,确保泡沫高温合金带的完全致密化,并在适中的烧结温度下获得均匀的化学成分.通过扫描电子显微镜和能谱仪对上述方法制备的泡沫带的显微组织和成分变化进行表...     

Structured catalyst supports and catalysts for the methane indirect internal steam reforming in the intermediate temperature SOFC

Open cell metal foams made from Ni, Fe–Cr steel and Ni–Al intermetallic were studied as candidate catalyst supports for the internal indirect methane steam reforming. All the samples exhibited good corrosive resistance during 500–1000 h testing in H₂–H₂O–Ar environment at 600 °C. NiO/8YSZ composite based catalysts doped with fluorite-like (Pr_0.3Ce_0.35Zr_0.35O₂) or perovskite-like (La_0.8Pr_0.2Mn_0.2Cr_0.8O₃) complex oxides with high lattice oxygen mobility and promoted with Pt or Ru were prepared and deposited on the foam-structure supports. Both good catalyst adhesion and stable catalyst performance were achieved in the case of the Ni–Al foam supported catalysts. The Fe–Cr support reacted with the catalytic active components resulting in fast catalyst deactivation. The foam supported catalyst performance was compared with the same catalyst prepared in a form of 0.25 mm fraction. Porous supports with different porosities were prepared by the metal foam deformation and the catalyst performance depending on the support porosity (75–95%) was studied.     

AC Impedance Study of Porous Silicon Aging in HF Solution

The present work aims to study the AC impedance of porous silicon films left in the contact with the anodizing bath after their growth is over. It is shown that the layers grown at p-type silicon experience noticeable changes of their impedance behavior resulting in the gradual growth of electrical resistance of the p-PS layer. This change is assumed to be related with the deposition of a passive layer at the pore bottoms associated with reabsorption of dissolved Si-containing material from the electrolyte. The layers formed at n-Si also show changes of the electrical impedance, although they are much more complicated than in the previous case (dependence of the kinetics of changes on the polarization current and polarization time, presence of the inductive loops at the impedance spectra, etc.