Effects of the Anti-Tumorigenic Agent AT101 on Human Glioblastoma Cells in the Microenvironmental Glioma Stem Cell Niche

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a barely treatable disease due to its profound chemoresistance. A distinct inter- and intratumoral heterogeneity reflected by specialized microenvironmental niches and different tumor cell subpopulations allows GBMs to evade therapy regimens. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop alternative treatment strategies. A promising candidate for the treatment of GBMs is AT101, the R(-) enantiomer of gossypol. The present study evaluates the effects of AT101, alone or in combination with temozolomide (TMZ), in a microenvironmental glioma stem cell niche model of two GBM cell lines (U251MG and U87MG). AT101 was found to induce strong cytotoxic effects on U251MG and U87MG stem-like cells in comparison to the respective native cells. Moreover, a higher sensitivity against treatment with AT101 was observed upon incubation of native cells with a stem-like cell-conditioned medium. This higher sensitivity was reflected by a specific inhibitory influence on the p-p42/44 signaling pathway. Further, the expression of CXCR7 and the interleukin-6 receptor was significantly regulated upon these stimulatory conditions. Since tumor stem-like cells are known to mediate the development of tumor recurrences and were observed to strongly respond to the AT101 treatment, this might represent a promising approach to prevent the development of GBM recurrences.     

Microwave hybrid fast sintering of red clay ceramics

This work aimed to examine the performance of the hybrid sintering of clay ceramic in a microwave furnace, compared to the sintering process in a conventional furnace. The raw materials were subjected to X-ray fluorescence, loss on ignition (LOI), X-ray diffraction, particle size distribution, real specific mass, and thermogravimetric analyses. The red clay ceramic mass was prepared, extruded, pre-sintered in a conventional furnace at 600°C/60 min, and sintered at temperatures between 700 °C and 1100 °C. The sintering conventional (resistive oven) was carried out for 60 min with a heating rate of 10°C/min. In the microwave furnace, the sintering times were 5, 10, and 15 min, with a heating rate of 50°C/min, with a sintering chamber coated with silicon carbide (susceptor). The sintered specimens were characterized according to linear shrinkage, water absorption, apparent porosity, apparent specific mass, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy analysis, spectroscopy analysis in the ultraviolet and visible regions, microhardness, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that microwave sintering promoted an increase in the microhardness and apparent specific mass, and reduction in water absorption and apparent porosity values, due to greater densification in the microstructure. The best results occurred for specimens sintered at 1100°C.     

Current advances concerning the most cited metal ions doped bioceramics and silicate-based bioactive glasses for bone tissue engineering

Studies related to biomaterials that stimulate the repair of living tissue have increased considerably, improving the quality of many people's lives that require surgery due to traumatic accidents, bone diseases, bone defects, and reconstructions. Among these biomaterials, bioceramics and bioactive glasses (BGs) have proved to be suitable for coating materials, cement, scaffolds, and nanoparticles, once they present good biocompatibility and degradability, able to generate osteoconduction on the surrounding tissue. However, the role of biomaterials in hard tissue engineering is not restricted to a structural replacement or for guiding tissue regeneration. Nowadays, it is expected that biomaterials develop a multifunctional role when implanted, orchestrating the process of tissue regeneration and providing to the body the capacity to heal itself. In this way, the incorporation of specific metal ions in bioceramics and BGs structure, including magnesium, silver, strontium, lithium, copper, iron, zinc, cobalt, and manganese are currently receiving enhanced interest as biomaterials for biomedical applications. When an ion is incorporated into the bioceramic structure, a new category of material is created, which has several unique properties that overcome the disadvantages of primitive material and favors its use in different biomedical applications. The doping can enhance handling properties, angiogenic and osteogenic performance, and antimicrobial activity. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the effect of selected metal ion dopants into bioceramics and silicate-based BGs in bone tissue engineering. Furthermore, new applications for doped bioceramics and BGs are highlighted, including cancer treatment and drug delivery.     

A small-angle X-ray scattering study of powder compaction

This work demonstrated a novel and potentially important application of two-dimensional small-angle X-ray scattering (2D-SAXS) to investigate powder compaction. SAXS from powder compacts of three materials commonly used for pharmaceutical tabletting exhibited azimuthal variations, with stronger intensity in the direction of the applied compaction force, relative to the transverse direction. This implied that compaction of a (macroscopic) powder could also produce changes on the molecular (nanometre) scale, which can be probed by 2D-SAXS. Two possible explanations for this effect were suggested. A combination of anisometric (i.e. elongated or flattened) granules with anisotropic morphologies could result in azimuthal variation in X-ray scattering due to granule orientation. It is expected that this mechanism would require relatively low packing density, so may operate during die filling. Granule re-orientation appeared less likely at higher packing densities and compaction pressures, however. Under these conditions, the changes in the 2D-SAXS patterns would be consistent with the powder granules becoming relatively flattened in the compression direction, with corresponding changes in their nano-scale morphology. The magnitude of this effect was found to vary between the materials used and increased with compaction pressure. This suggested that 2D-SAXS studies could provide useful information on force-transmission within a compressed powder. Further analysis of the data also suggested differences in the compaction mechanisms (i.e. granule re-orientation, deformation or fragmentation) between the materials studied.     

Treatment of depressive symptoms during short-term rehabilitation: An attempted replication of the DOUR project.

Objective: To replicate and extend P. A. Lichtenberg and colleagues' (1996) cross-disciplinary intervention to improve physical and mental health among older adults. Participants: 14 depressed older adults (6 treatment, 8 control). Setting: The short-term rehabilitation unit of an urban nursing home. Intervention: Occupational therapists were trained to treat depression using pleasant events and cognitive-behavioral therapies. Outcome Measures: Geriatric Depression Scale, the Short Form-12, and the Multi-Level Assessment Instrument: Activities of Daily Living. Results: No significant group differences were found in physical or mental health. However, more control group members (75%) than treatment group members (33%) were depressed at study completion. Conclusions: The treatment of depressive symptoms can be integrated with a nonmental health treatment modality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Outcomes related to burn-related child abuse: a case series

Nationally, approximately 10% of child abuse cases involve burning, and up to 20% of pediatric burn admissions involve abuse or neglect. Historically, these cases have been more difficult to prosecute than nonburn cases for multiple reasons. Between 1995 and 1999, there were 285 pediatric (under 18) patients admitted to the Spectrum Health Regional Burn Center. Of these cases, 18 of the alleged perpetrators were legally investigated for suspicion of child abuse, and 7 received punitive sentences. We found that men tended to be prosecuted and convicted more often than women and that cases involving multiple instances of injury tended to be prosecuted more frequently. Similarly, we found that cases involving more severe injuries tended to be prosecuted more successfully. There are many psychological and social factors involved in handling burn abuse cases. However, by successful prosecution of these crimes, victims tend to fare better both socially and psychologically.