Chemical ordering phenomena in nanostructured FePt: Monte Carlo simulations.

Free-surface-induced L10 chemical long-range ordering phenomena in a nanolayer, a nanowire and a cubic nanoparticle of FePt were studied by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The system was modeled with nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor interatomic pair interactions deduced from ab initio calculations. The generated samples, the dimensionality of which was determined by appropriate periodic boundary conditions imposed upon the generated supercells, were initially either perfectly ordered in the c-variant L10 superstructure ((001)-oriented monatomic planes), or completely disordered in the fcc crystalline structure. Vacancy-mediated creation of equilibrium atomic configurations was modelled by relaxing the systems at temperatures below the 'order-disorder' transition point using the Glauber algorithm implemented with the vacancy mechanism of atomic migration. The (100)-type-surface-induced heterogeneous nucleation of L10-order domains was observed and quantified by means of an original parameterization enabling selective determination of volume fractions of particular L10-variants. Due to the specific competition between the three kinds of (100)-type free surfaces, the initial c-L10 variant long-range order appeared to be the most stable in the cubic nanoparticle. The initially disordered samples were transformed by the creation of a specific L10 domain structure with a mosaic of particular L10-variant domains at the surfaces and almost homogeneous long-range order in the inner volume. The analysis of correlation effects revealed that chemical ordering was initiated at the free surfaces.

Serum tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) are associated with prognosis in esophageal cancer patients.

PURPOSE: The matrix metalloproteinases, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases and angiogenesis contribute to growth and spread of cancer. We investigated the correlation between pretreatment serum levels of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), and clinicopathologic features and survival in patients with esophageal cancer (EC). MATERIAL/METHODS: Serum TIMP-1 and VEGF-A were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 89 patients with EC, and 30 healthy controls. RESULTS: Serum TIMP-1 and VEGF-A levels were significantly higher in patients with esophageal carcinoma than in the control group (p=0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). High levels of TIMP-1 were associated with histological type (p<0.001), tumor depth (p<0.001), stage (p<0.001) and lymph node metastases (p=0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that tumor size (p<0.001), tumor depth (p<0.001), stage (p<0.001), lymph node metastases (p=0.002), distant metastases (p=0.009) and resectability (p=0.003), were correlated with an elevated level of VEGF-A. Patients with elevated levels of TIMP-1 and VEGF-A had a significantly lower overall survival (p=0.02 and p=0.048, respectively), and disease-free survival (TIMP-1, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: High serum levels of TIMP-1 and VEGF-A were found to be associated with tumor progression and unfavorable prognosis in patients with EC.

New monoallelic combination of KRAS gene mutations in codons 12 and 13 in the lung adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: In a retrospective analysis of the prevalence of KRAS mutations in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we detected a unique and not earlier described case of a double combination of mutations at codons 12 and 13 of the KRAS gene in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma. MATERIAL/METHODS: To determine the molecular characteristics of the infrequent mutation and the mutational status of the KRAS gene in metastatic brain tumors in the same patient, we performed morphological and molecular tests. RESULTS: Molecular analysis of the nature of the double mutation showed that the unique combination of variants is a monoallelic mutation. This type of changes has not yet been registered in the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer database. Molecular assessment of the KRAS mutation status in the brain metastatic site in the same patient, showed no mutations in codons 12 and 13. Moreover, we did not find mutation at exon 19 and 21 of EGFR gene, both in primary tumor as well as in secondary metastatic foci in the brain. CONCLUSIONS: The presented case shows an example of KRAS gene molecular mosaicism and heterogeneity of lung adenocarcinoma primary and metastatic tumors. Molecular heterogeneity of lung adenocarcinoma tumors can significantly affect eligibility of patients for targeted therapies.

Pressure-induced enhancement of the superconducting properties of single-crystalline FeTe0.5Se0.5.

The pressure dependence, up to 11.3 kbar, of basic parameters of the superconducting state, such as the critical temperature (T(c)), the lower and the upper critical fields, the coherence length, the penetration depth, and their anisotropy, was determined from magnetic measurements performed for two single-crystalline samples of FeTe(0.5)Se(0.5). We have found pressure-induced enhancement of all of the superconducting state properties, which entails a growth of the density of superconducting carriers. However, we noticed a more pronounced increase in the superconducting carrier density under pressure than that in the critical temperature which may indicate an appearance of a mechanism limiting the increase of T(c) with pressure. We have observed that the critical current density increases under pressure by at least one order of magnitude.

Higher importance of interleukin 6 than classic tumor markers (carcinoembryonic antigen and squamous cell cancer antigen) in the diagnosis of esophageal cancer patients.

It has been suggested that interleukin 6 (IL-6) plays a potential role in the growth and progression of tumors, including esophageal cancer (EC). The aim of the study was to compare clinical significance of serum IL-6 with classic tumor markers - carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and squamous cell cancer antigen (SCC-Ag) - in EC patients in relation to its histological types - squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus (ESCC) and adenocarcinoma (AD) of esophagus. The study included 53 EC patients and 90 healthy subjects. Serum IL-6 and CEA levels were determined using immunoenzyme assays, while SCC-Ag - chemiluminescent assay. The diagnostic criteria and prognostic values for markers were defined. The levels of all proteins tested in EC, ESCC, and AD were higher than in healthy subjects. The percentage of elevated results was substantially higher for IL-6 (86%) than for CEA (30%) and SCC-Ag (24%) in EC, similarly as in ESCC (87%, 23%, and 33%) and AD (87%, 39%, and 13%, respectively) patients. Concentrations of IL-6 depended on distant metastases and patients' survival in EC and were significantly higher in ESCC patients with more advanced tumor stage and nodal metastases. The IL-6 area under receiver operating characteristic curve (0.92) was larger than for CEA (0.84) and SCC-Ag (0.62) in EC, likewise in ESCC (0.92, 0.87, 0.77) and AD (0.91, 0.79, 0.57, respectively). Our findings indicate better usefulness of IL-6 than classic tumor markers in the diagnosis of EC, especially in patients with ESCC.

Role of extracellular matrix and prolactin in functional differentiation of bovine BME-UV1 mammary epithelial cells.

Interactions between extracellular matrix (ECM) and epithelial cells are necessary for proper organisation and function of the epithelium. In the present study we show that bovine mammary epithelial cell line BME-UV1 cultured on ECM components, commercially available as Matrigel, constitutes a good model for studying mechanisms controlling functional differentiation of the bovine mammary gland. In contact with Matrigel BME-UV1 cells induce apicobasal polarity, and within 16 days form three dimensional (3D) acinar structures with a centrally localized hollow lumen, which structurally resemble mammary alveoli present in the functionally active mammary gland. We have shown that the 3D culture system enables a high expression and proper localisation of integrin receptors and tight junction proteins in BME-UV1 cells to be induced. This effect was not obtained in cells grown in the classical 2D culture system on plastic. Moreover, ECM highly stimulated the synthesis of one of the major milk proteins, beta-casein, even in the absence of prolactin. Our results show that contact with ECM plays an important role in the lactogenic activity of bovine MECs, however, prolactin is necessary for the efficient secretion of milk proteins.

Vascular endothelial growth factor C and D expression correlates with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis in patients with resected esophageal cancer.

Vascular endothelial growth factors C (VEGF-C) and D (VEGF-D) are important lymphangiogenic factors in human cancers. We studied the expression of VEGF-C and VEGF-D using immunohistochemistry in 73 resected esophageal cancer specimens, and correlated the results with patient clinicopathologic features and survival. High expression of VEGF-C was identified in 40 (54.7%) patients, and it correlated positively with histological grade (p=0.038), tumor stage (p=0.01), depth of tumor invasion (p=0.036) and lymph node metastasis (p=0.001). In 48 of 73 (65.7%) tumors, the VEGF-D protein was also expressed at high levels. VEGF-D immunoreactivity significantly correlated with tumor location (p=0.027), size of tumor (p=0.015), histological grade (p=0.02), depth of invasion (p=0.001) and lymph node metastasis (p=0.018). In logistic multivariate analysis, high expression of VEGF-C (OR 1.941, 95% CI 1.263-7.289, p=0.024) was associated with lymph node metastasis. Calculating the prognostic relevance revealed that both VEGF-C and VEGF-D correlated with decreased overall survival (p=0.01, p=0.003), disease free survival (p=0.02, p=0.006), and cancer-specific survival (p=0.03, p=0.005). In conclusion, our results suggest that high levels of both VEGF-C and VEGF-D proteins are associated with lymph node involvement, and that VEGF-C expression is an independent predictor of risk for lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer. In locally advanced disease, overexpression of VEGF-C and VEGF-D may be useful in identifying patients who are more likely to have a poor prognosis even after curative resection.

Peritoneal T lymphocyte regulation by macrophages.

The T cell composition of the peritoneal cavity (PerC) in naïve BALB/c, C57BL/6, DBA/2J, and B-1 B cell-defective BALB.xid mice was investigated. The BALB.xid PerC T cell pool had a high CD4:CD8 T cell ratio relative to the other strains whose ratios were similar to those found in their lymph node and spleen. All mice had significant representation of T cells with an activated (CD25(+), GITR(hi), CD44(hi), CD45RB(lo), CD62L(lo)) phenotype and low numbers of Foxp3(+) T(reg) cells in their PerC. Despite a phenotype indicative of activation, peritoneal T cell responses to CD3 ligation were very low for C57BL/6 and BALB.xid, but not BALB/c, mice. Enzyme inhibition and cytokine neutralization studies revealed active suppression of the T cell response mediated by the macrophages that represent a significant portion of PerC leucocytes. Driven by IFNγ to express iNOS, macrophages suppressed T cell activation in vitro by arginine catabolism. Although BALB/c T cells were also in a macrophage-dense environment their limited IFNγ production failed to trigger suppression. This difference between BALB/c and BALB.xid PerC T cells suggests a role for xid in shaping macrophage-mediated immune regulation.

Study of reorientation processes in L10-ordered FePt thin films.

We report on the development of structural and magnetic order in epitaxially grown L10 FePt thin films. Upon annealing, the easy axis of magnetization changes from the out-of-plain into the in-plain direction. We found that the overall fraction of reoriented domains first increases but after certain time decreases before achieving a saturated state. The results are based on conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy studies and confirm Monte Carlo simulations in nano-layered FePt. We present a modified version of the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA) model adequately describing the experimental findings. Two dynamical processes, the first being a 2D-growth, dominate the initial state of sample annealing and the second being a 3D-growth, dominate the late stage close to saturation. From an Arrhenius plots of JMA coefficients for both processes we extracted the activation energies of the underlying dynamics which are 1.5(1) eV for disordering and 0.8(2) eV for ordering.

Long graft cold ischemia time is associated with increased arterial stiffness in renal transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: Increased pulse wave velocity (PWV), an indicator of arterial stiffness, is associated with greater cardiovascular risk among renal transplant recipients. PWV depends on recipient-related factors and, as shown in recent studies, also on donor age. There is a lack of information whether graft-related factors influence arterial function in recipients. Graft cold ischemia time (CIT) significantly influences renal transplant outcomes. It was shown in an experimental model of aortic grafting that increased CIT promoted arteriosclerosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between renal graft CIT and PWV. METHODS: Carotid-femoral PWV were measured in 103 cadaveric kidney recipients of mean age 45 +/- 12 years. We analyzed clinical data of recipient and donor ages, genders, body mass index, blood pressure, CIT, delayed graft function, and type of immunosuppressive therapy to compare patients with CIT < 24 (n = 24) versus CIT > or = 24 hours (n = 79). RESULTS: PWV was lower among patients with shorter CIT (8.3 +/- 1.6 vs 9.2 +/- 2.0 respectively; P < .05). No significant differences were observed between the groups regarding donor and recipient ages, blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate, or immunosuppressive and cardiovascular therapy. A significant positive correlation was noted between PWV and CIT (r = .23; P = .019). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that recipient age, therapy with cyclosporine, fasting glucose, systolic blood pressure, and CIT were independently associated with PWV. CONCLUSIONS: Long CIT was associated with increased arterial stiffness. Further studies are necessary to understand the cause effect relationship of this finding.

Differences in growth and transcriptomic profile of bovine mammary epithelial monolayer and three-dimensional cell cultures.

Mammary epithelial cells (MECs) are characterized by specific spatial architecture with several distinguishing features such as: polarized morphology, specialized cell-cell contacts, and attachment to an underlying basement membrane. Three dimensional (3D) basement membrane cultures provide a unique opportunity to model the architecture of epithelium in vitro. The aim of this study was to characterize the growth of bovine mammary epithelial cell line BME-UV1 in 3D culture on Matrigel and identification of differently expressed genes in bovine MECs forming polarized structures in comparison to conventional monolayer (2D) cell culture. We demonstrate that BME-UV1 cells grown on Matrigel form polarized acinar structures during 16 days of culture. A microarray study has proven that the difference in spatial architecture between MECs cultured in monolayer and 3D system is reflected by differences in transcriptomic profile. Microarray data analysis showed 40 differentially expressed genes with statistical significance (p<0.05) and characterized biological functions. Identified genes comprised of cytoskeletal proteins, extracellular matrix components, kinases such as: Rac serine/threonine kinase, SRPK, protooncogene tyrosine-protein kinase ABL1, uridine cytidine kinase and proteins with nucleic acid binding / transcription factor activity. Products of those genes are involved in processes which are known to participate in regulating mammary gland polarization and function.

Nanoindentation of heterogeneous carbonaceous films containing Ni nano-crystals.

Composite films of nano-size nickel grains embedded in a carbonaceous matrix are synthesized by a PVD process of C(60) fullerenes and Ni acetate. The morphology of the nano-composite films is characterized by TEM, selected area electron diffraction, chemical analysis and AFM. Correlations with deposition parameters and typical structure changes are found. The mechanical properties are analyzed by nanoindentation. The load-displacement charts show typical pop-ins correlated with the heterogeneous nano-structure. The depth dependent hardness and indentation modulus vary according to the nano-composite structure and reflect the changes of the mechanical properties in the film.

Virodhamine relaxes the human pulmonary artery through the endothelial cannabinoid receptor and indirectly through a COX product.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The endocannabinoid virodhamine is a partial agonist at the cannabinoid CB(1) receptor and a full agonist at the CB(2) receptor, and relaxes rat mesenteric arteries through endothelial cannabinoid receptors. Its concentration in the periphery exceeds that of the endocannabinoid anandamide. Here, we examined the influence of virodhamine on the human pulmonary artery. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Isolated human pulmonary arteries were obtained during resections for lung carcinoma. Vasorelaxant effects of virodhamine were examined on endothelium-intact vessels precontracted with 5-HT or KCl. KEY RESULTS: Virodhamine, unlike WIN 55,212-2, relaxed 5-HT-precontracted vessels concentration dependently. The effect of virodhamine was reduced by endothelium denudation, two antagonists of the endothelial cannabinoid receptor, cannabidiol and O-1918, and a high concentration of the CB(1) receptor antagonist rimonabant (5 muM), but only slightly attenuated by the NOS inhibitor L-NAME and not affected by a lower concentration of rimonabant (100 nM) or by the CB(2) and vanilloid receptor antagonists SR 144528 and capsazepine, respectively. The COX inhibitor indomethacin and the fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor URB597 and combined administration of selective blockers of small (apamin) and intermediate and large (charybdotoxin) conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels attenuated virodhamine-induced relaxation. The vasorelaxant potency of virodhamine was lower in KCl- than in 5-HT-precontracted preparations. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Virodhamine relaxes the human pulmonary artery through the putative endothelial cannabinoid receptor and indirectly through a COX-derived vasorelaxant prostanoid formed from the virodhamine metabolite, arachidonic acid. One or both of these mechanisms may stimulate vasorelaxant Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels.

Role of autophagy in mammary gland development.

Autophagy is a highly conserved catabolic process responsible for degradation and recycling of long-lived proteins and organelles by lysosomes. This degradative pathway, together with proteasome system is particularly important during development and under certain environmental stress conditions. This review summarizes the latest achievements of studies aiming to explore the role of autophagy in development and differentiation of eukaryotic cells. It shows the importance of this process in the development of lower eukaryotic organisms such as Dicyostelium discoideum, and Caenorhabditis elegans, as well as functions of autophagy and autophagy related genes (Atg) in development and differentiation of higher eukaryotic organisms. The review is focused on the results of studies conducted on mammary gland, as it is a good model for studying the mechanisms controlling higher eukaryotic organisms' development. Studies have shown that autophagy is involved in the removal of epithelial cells during formation of alveolar structures, indicating its role in mammogenesis. There are also evidences of involvement of Atg's in epithelial tumors development. Context dependent manipulations of autophagic pathways may create more effective anticancer therapies in the future.

Severe respiratory distress caused by central airway obstruction treated with self-expandable metallic stents.

We investigate retrospectively the efficacy of self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) for severe respiratory distress (SRD) in patients with central airway obstruction (CAO). Thirty three patients with CAO were treated with SEMS using fiberoptic bronchoscopy method. We found an intraluminal obstruction present in 7, extraluminal compression in 10, and combined stenosis in 16 cases. Tumor infiltration occupied more than 90% of the endoluminal diameter in 21, 70% in 9, and 50% in 3 cases. Obstruction was caused by primary cancer of lung in 23, thyroid in 5, and esophagus in 5 patients. Up to 3 stents per patient were placed. Double stenting (esophagus and trachea) was required in five patients. All patients exhibited symptomatic and arterial blood gas improvement. The mean follow-up was 65 (5 to 752) days. SEMS are useful for the treatment of SRD caused by CAO. The overall effect is related to the degree of tumor progression itself.

Potential involvement of a propranolol-insensitive atypical beta-adrenoceptor the vasodilator effect of cyanopindolol in the human pulmonary artery.

The aim of our study was to examine whether non beta(1)-/beta(2)-adrenoceptors participate in the relaxation of the human pulmonary artery. For this purpose the vasodilatory effect of the non-conventional partial beta-adrenoceptor agonist cyanopindolol was examined. Cyanopindolol (1-300 microM), studied in the presence of the beta(1)-/beta(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol, relaxed the human pulmonary artery preconstricted with serotonin 1 microM in a concentration-dependent manner (maximally by about 80%). This effect was diminished by bupranolol 10 microM (an antagonist of beta(1)-beta(3)-adrenoceptors and the low affinity state of the beta(1)-adrenoceptor) and CGP 20712 10 microM (known to antagonize the low-affinity state of the beta(1)-adrenoceptor at high concentrations). In further experiments, the effect of beta-adrenoceptor ligands on the serotonin-induced vasoconstriction was examined. The concentration-response curve for serotonin was not affected by cyanopindolol 30 microM, bupranolol 10 microM and CGP 20712 10 microM but shifted to the right by cyanopindolol 100 and 300 microM; the serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptor antagonist ketanserin 0.3 microM abolished the maximum contraction elicited by serotonin. In conclusion, the present study reveals that the vasodilatory effect of cyanopindolol in the human pulmonary artery consists of two components, i.e. activation of a propranolol-insensitive atypical beta-adrenoceptor and antagonism against 5-HT(2A) receptors.

Laser resection of lung parenchyma--a new technical and clinical approach.

The introduction of a new 1318 nm wavelength Nd:YAG laser has created new possibilities in lung parenchyma surgery. The potentially curative surgical resection of pulmonary metastases in suitably selected cases had been recognized slowly. Using the new laser technology a greater number of patients can now offered salvage surgery. This paper reviews the history of surgical management of pulmonary metastases, development of new laser technology, conventional and extended indications for pulmonary metastasectomy and use of laser in thoracic surgery.

High-level expression of cancer/testis antigen NY-ESO-1 and human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in dendritic cells with a bicistronic retroviral vector.

Tumor-specific genes delivered to dendritic cells (DCs) have been used for the generation of cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), but their application has been limited on the one hand by low viral titers resulting in low transduction efficiency and poor protein production, and on the other hand by immunogenicity of the selectable marker and poor viability of the DCs. We addressed these limitations by creating a multipurpose master vector (pMV) and cloning the tumor gene NY-ESO-1, which is highly expressed in more than 50% of advanced myeloma patients. pMV was constructed from a Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-MuLV)-based retroviral backbone with the following features: (1) an extended packaging signal to achieve high viral titers, (2) a splice acceptor region to facilitate protein production, (3) a nonimmunogenic selectable marker, dihydrofolate reductase-L22Y (DHFR(L22Y)), to exclude the generation of CTLs against the selectable marker, (4) an internal ribosomal entry site between the tumor-specific gene (NY-ESO-1) and the selectable marker DHFR(L22Y) for coexpression of two heterologous gene products from a single bicistronic mRNA, minimizing the possibility of differential expression of these two genes, and (5) human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (hGM-CSF) cDNA driven by the human T-lymphotropic virus promoter to enhance DC function and viability. Recombinant virus of pMV-NY-ESO-1 was generated with vesicular stomatitis virus G envelope protein (VSV-G) in the GP2-293 cell line for efficient transduction. We present evidence that the DC phenotype is unaltered after transduction and that more than 85% of DCs express NY-ESO-1, which secrete approximately 40 ng of GM-CSF per 10(6) DCs.

Therapy increases poly-ADP-ribose and p53-Ser392-P levels in recurrent squamous cell lung cancer.

p53 protein is a critical regulator of the cell cycle and apoptosis and its levels and functions change in response to many stimuli. To assess whether the cytotoxic drugs induce DNA changes, affect phosphorylation and stability of p53 protein, we determined poly-ADP-ribose levels, the expression of p53 protein and its carboxyl-terminal Ser-392 phosphate levels in fiberoptic bronchoscopy biopsy samples taken from patients suffering from recurrent squamous cell lung cancer before and after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. All 14 patients included in this study were in IA-IIIA clinical stage prior to surgery. Radiation/chemotherapy decreased G2/M cell numbers but increased S-phase cells by almost 50% compared to ploidy status before therapy, while median p53 expression was doubled (109% increase). p53 phosphorylated on Ser-392 was also increased by approximately 70% in patients treated with radiotherapy and with chemotherapy and correlated with elevated poly-ADP-ribose levels. Our data suggest that apart from changes in p53 quantity, posttranslational phosphorylation/dephosphorylation-mediated alterations may play an important role in neoplastic cell proliferation as well as in antiproliferative activity of drugs inducing DNA damage and apoptosis.

Analysis of pCU1 replication origins: dependence of oriS on the plasmid-encoded replication initiation protein RepA.

The broad-host-range replicon of the plasmid pCU1 has three origins of vegetative replication called oriB, oriS, and oriV. In the multi-origin replicon, individual origins can distinguish among replication factors provided by the host. It has been found that during replication in Escherichia coli polA(-) host, oriS was the only active origin of a mutant pCU1 derivative bearing a mutation in the gene encoding replication initiation protein RepA. To further investigate the capacity of oriS to function in an E. coli polA(-) host we constructed a number of clones of the basic replicon of pCU1 containing oriS as the only replication origin. An oriS construct created with pUC18 could transform the polA(-) strain when RepA was supplied in trans. When the oriS region (between nucleotides 290 and 832) was ligated to an antibiotic resistance Omega fragment, the construct could be recovered as a plasmid from polA(+) strain if functional RepA was provided in trans. Our results therefore indicate that the basic replicon of pCU1, containing oriS as the sole origin, does require RepA to initiate plasmid replication in E. coli