Procaspase-Activating Compound-1 Synergizes with TRAIL to Induce Apoptosis in Established Granulosa Cell Tumor Cell Line (KGN) and Explanted Patient Granulosa Cell Tumor Cells In Vitro

Granulosa cell tumors (GCT) constitute only ~5% of ovarian neoplasms yet have significant consequences, as up to 80% of women with recurrent GCT will die of the disease. This study investigated the effectiveness of procaspase-activating compound 1 (PAC-1), an activator of procaspase-3, in treating adult GCT (AGCT) in combination with selected apoptosis-inducing agents. Sensitivity of the AGCT cell line KGN to these drugs, alone or in combination with PAC-1, was tested using a viability assay. Our results show a wide range in cytotoxic activity among the agents tested. Synergy with PAC-1 was most pronounced, both empirically and by mathematical modelling, when combined with tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). This combination showed rapid kinetics of apoptosis induction as determined by caspase-3 activity, and strongly synergistic killing of both KGN as well as patient samples of primary and recurrent AGCT. We have demonstrated that the novel combination of two pro-apoptotic agents, TRAIL and PAC-1, significantly amplified the induction of apoptosis in AGCT cells, warranting further investigation of this combination as a potential therapy for AGCT.     

Enhancement of mechanical properties and chemical durability of Soda-lime silicate glasses treated by DC gas discharges

We report for the first time a study on non-contact thermal poling of soda lime silicate glasses using DC gas discharge. In this work, the formation of a glow discharge is evidenced during the thermal poling treatment (longer than 30 minutes). The hardness and the chemical durability of glasses poled under different conditions (contact or non-contact) and atmospheres (nitrogen or air) are measured and compared to that of un-poled reference glass. The results reveal enhanced mechanical and chemical properties for samples poled under nitrogen as compare to air poled or soda lime silicate glass samples. A structural and chemical analysis of surface of the glass using IR-reflectance measurement and ToF-SIMS is also presented. The formation of a “silica-like” layer on the surface of nitrogen poled glasses is observed, which is likely associated with the enhancement of surface properties. On the other hand, the introduction of protons beneath the surface of glasses poled under air leads to the formation of a hydrated alkaline earth silica layer. Based on the observations a mechanism behind the sustainability of the plasma under DC conditions is proposed.     

Fabrication and characterization of integrated optical waveguidesin sulfide chalcogenide glasses

This paper reports on the fabrication process of As-S-(Se)-based chalcogenide glass optical waveguides using three techniques: photolithography, laser beam writing, and ion implantation. The fabrication method of the bulk sulfide glasses and the processing of integrated devices are described and assessed in light of the propagation characteristics and optical losses in each case     

MFG-E8 Reduces Aortic Intimal Proliferation in a Murine Model of Transplant Vasculopathy

Transplant vasculopathy is characterized by endothelial apoptosis, which modulates the local microenvironment. Milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8), which is released by apoptotic endothelial cells, limits tissue damage and inflammation by promoting anti-inflammatory macrophages. We aimed to study its role in transplant vasculopathy using the murine aortic allotransplantation model. BALB/c mice were transplanted with fully mismatched aortic transplants from MFG-E8 knockout (KO) or wild type (WT) C57BL/6J mice. Thereafter, mice received MFG-E8 (or vehicle) injections for 9 weeks prior to histopathological analysis of allografts for intimal proliferation (hematoxylin and eosin staining) and leukocyte infiltration assessment (immunofluorescence). Phenotypes of blood leukocytes and humoral responses were also evaluated (flow cytometry and ELISA). Mice receiving MFG-E8 KO aortas without MFG-E8 injections had the most severe intimal proliferation (p < 0.001). Administration of MFG-E8 decreased intimal proliferation, especially in mice receiving MFG-E8 KO aortas. Administration of MFG-E8 also increased the proportion of anti-inflammatory macrophages among graft-infiltrating macrophages (p = 0.003) and decreased systemic CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell activation (p < 0.001). An increase in regulatory T cells occurred in both groups of mice receiving WT aortas (p < 0.01). Thus, the analarmin MFG-E8 appears to be an important protein for reducing intimal proliferation in this murine model of transplant vasculopathy. MFG-E8 effects are associated with intra-allograft macrophage reprogramming and systemic T-cell activation dampening.     

Caesium isothermal migration behaviour in sintered titanium nitride: New data and comparison with previous results on iodine and xenon

Titanium nitride has been proposed as a fission product barrier in fuel structures for gas cooled fast reactor (GFR) systems. The thermal migration of Cs was studied by implanting 800 keV ¹³³Cs⁺⁺ ions into sintered samples of TiN at an ion fluence of 5 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻². Thermal treatments at temperatures ranging from 1500 to 1650 °C were performed under a secondary vacuum. Concentration profiles were determined by 2.5 MeV ⁴He⁺ elastic backscattering. The results reveal that the global mobility of caesium in the host matrix is low compared to xenon and iodine implanted in the same conditions. Nevertheless, the evolution of caesium depth profile during thermal treatment presents similarities with that of xenon. Both species are homogeneously transported towards the surface and the transport rate increases with the temperature. In comparison, iodine exhibits singular migration behaviour. Several assumptions are proposed to explain the better retention of caesium in comparison with both other species. The potential role played by the oxidation is underlined since even a slight modification of the surface stoichiometry may modify species mobility. More generally, the apparition of square-like shapes on the surface of the samples after implantations and thermal treatments is discussed.     

Minimum Entropy Combinatorial Optimization Problems

We survey recent results on combinatorial optimization problems in which the objective function is the entropy of a discrete distribution. These include the minimum entropy set cover, minimum entropy orientation, and minimum entropy coloring problems.     

Comments on "Identifiability of linear and nonlinear dynamical systems"

In this correspondence it is shown how one of the given procedures can be extended to check the global identifiability of linear state systems.     

Rétention urinaire diurne dans le traitement de l'énurésie: comparaison des analyses univariées et multivariées.

Analyzed the efficacy of the technique of diurnal urinary retention in the treatment of nocturnal enuresis by means of a systematic comparison of 6 methods of statistical analysis, both univariate and multivariate. 14 enuretic 7–14 yr olds were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 received the diurnal urinary retention treatment, which consisted of gradually increasing the period of retention between the appearance of need and actual micturition. Group 2, controls, were expecting to receive a specific treatment, but were required to observe and record the frequency of nocturnal and diurnal micturition. Results of the univariate analyses indicate a significant effect for the urinary retention method, contrary to multivariate analyses. It is concluded that the clinical importance of the method is more limited than is generally suggested in the literature. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)