Diabetic HDL is dysfunctional in stimulating endothelial cell migration and proliferation due to down regulation of SR-BI expression.

Background: Diabetic HDL had diminished capacity to stimulate endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, migration, and adhesion to extracellular matrix. The mechanism of such dysfunction is poorly understood and we therefore sought to determine the mechanistic features of diabetic HDL dysfunction.

Methodology/principal Findings: We found that the dysfunction of diabetic HDL on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was associated with the down regulation of the HDL receptor protein, SR-BI.

Opportunities for 2-[(18)F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose PET/CT in cervical-vaginal neuroendocrine carcinoma: case series and literature review.

Objective: Neuroendocrine cervical carcinoma is a rare subtype of cervical cancer. These tumors exhibit an aggressive behavior with early regional lymph node and distant metastases. The purpose of our study was to describe five cases of neuroendocrine cervical-vaginal carcinoma and to discuss the potential of the 2-[(18)F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) scan for the detection of this rare malignancy.

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of sound propagation through a blade row.

The propagation of sound waves through a blade row is investigated numerically. A wave splitting method in a two-dimensional duct with arbitrary mean flow is presented, based on which pressure amplitude of different wave mode can be extracted at an axial plane. The propagation of sound wave through a flat plate blade row has been simulated by solving the unsteady Reynolds average Navier-Stokes equations (URANS).

Cyclooxygenase-2 expression, prostacyclin production and endothelial protection of high-density lipoprotein.

Atherosclerosis is a multi-factorial inflammatory disease with accumulation of lipids and recruitment of leukocytes into the subendothelial space. Due to the consistent inflammation in vessels, a subset of atherosclerotic plaques is even prone to physical disruption or producing thrombosis that triggers acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Cyclooxygenase (COX) and the downstream diverse prostanoids are involved in numerous physiological activities and inflammatory processes.

Modulating antiangiogenic resistance by inhibiting the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway in glioblastoma.

Determining the mechanism of treatment failure of VEGF signaling inhibitors for malignant glioma patients would provide insight into approaches to overcome therapeutic resistance. In this study, we demonstrate that human glioblastoma tumors failing bevacizumab have an increase in the mean percentage of p-STAT3-expressing cells compared to samples taken from patients failing non-antiangiogenic therapy containing regimens. Likewise, in murine xenograft models of glioblastoma, the mean percentage of p-STAT3-expressing cells in the gliomas resistant to antiangiogenic therapy was markedly elevated relative to controls.

Glioblastoma resistance to anti-VEGF therapy is associated with myeloid cell infiltration, stem cell accumulation, and a mesenchymal phenotype.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a critical regulator of angiogenesis. Inhibiting the VEGF-VEGF receptor (R) signal transduction pathway in glioblastoma has recently been shown to delay progression, but the relative benefit and mechanisms of response and failure of anti-VEGF therapy and VEGFR inhibitors are not well understood. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of VEGF sequestration and/or VEGFR inhibition on orthotopic tumor growth and the mechanism(s) of treatment resistance.

Video-based gait analysis for functional evaluation of healing achilles tendon in rats.

Video-based walking track systems have been developed for gait analysis in rat models. However, there is no previous study using video-based tracking systems to address the gait parameters to evaluate the recovery of Achilles tendon rupture models. This study conducted a comprehensive gait analysis using a video-based image processing system.

Quantitative video-based gait pattern analysis for hemiparkinsonian rats.

Gait disturbances are common in the rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD) by administrating 6-hydroxydopamine. However, few studies have simultaneously assessed spatiotemporal gait indices and the kinematic information of PD rats during overground locomotion. This study utilized a simple, accurate, and reproducible method for quantifying the spatiotemporal and kinematic changes of gait patterns in hemiparkinsonian rats.

Facile oxygen reduction on a three-dimensionally ordered macroporous graphitic C3N4/carbon composite electrocatalyst.

Honeycomb catalysis: a facile oxygen reduction reaction has been observed on a graphitic C(3)N(4)/carbon catalyst with three-dimensional interconnected macropores (see picture with SiO(2) template). This material not only shows catalytic activity that is comparable to that of commercial Pt/C, but also has much higher organic-fuel tolerance and long-term stability.

Nanoporous graphitic-C3N4@carbon metal-free electrocatalysts for highly efficient oxygen reduction.

Based on theoretical prediction, a g-C(3)N(4)@carbon metal-free oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalyst was designed and synthesized by uniform incorporation of g-C(3)N(4) into a mesoporous carbon to enhance the electron transfer efficiency of g-C(3)N(4). The resulting g-C(3)N(4)@carbon composite exhibited competitive catalytic activity (11.3 mA cm(-2) kinetic-limiting current density at -0.

Nuclear PKM2 regulates β-catenin transactivation upon EGFR activation.

The embryonic pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) isoform is highly expressed in human cancer. In contrast to the established role of PKM2 in aerobic glycolysis or the Warburg effect, its non-metabolic functions remain elusive. Here we demonstrate, in human cancer cells, that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation induces translocation of PKM2, but not PKM1, into the nucleus, where K433 of PKM2 binds to c-Src-phosphorylated Y333 of β-catenin.

Nonenzymatic glycation of high-density lipoprotein impairs its anti-inflammatory effects in innate immunity.

Aims/hypothesis: In type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the abnormal protein and lipid composition of diabetic high-density lipoprotein (HDL) could impair its anti-inflammatory functions. Whether nonenzymatic glycation directly impaired the anti-inflammatory effects of HDL in innate immunity remained unclear.

Methods: Human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) cells, mouse RAW 264.

High-density lipoprotein of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus elevates the capability of promoting migration and invasion of breast cancer cells.

Epidemiological studies suggested complicated associations between type 2 diabetes mellitus and breast cancer. There is a significant inverse association between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and the risk and mortality of breast cancer. However, HDL could be modified in various ways in diabetes patients, and this may lead to the altered effects on many different types of cells.

Human apolipoprotein A-I induces cyclooxygenase-2 expression and prostaglandin I-2 release in endothelial cells through ATP-binding cassette transporter A1.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) can induce cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prostacyclin I-2 (PGI-2) release in endothelial cells to exert multiple antiatherogenic functions. This effect has been attributed mainly to the role of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) integrated in HDL. However, whether apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major apolipoprotein of HDL, could induce COX-2 expression and PGI-2 release still remains unclear.

Preparation of sulfonated porous carbon nanotubes/activated carbon composite beads and their adsorption of low density lipoprotein.

The high level of low density lipoprotein (LDL) in plasma is the main cause of atherosclerosis. Hemoperfusion is an ideal therapy to lower the level of LDL in human blood system while therapeutic effect is determined by the adsorbent. The adsorbent must have suitable pore structure and specific functional groups.

Recombinant heat shock protein 65 carrying PADRE and HBV epitopes activates dendritic cells and elicits HBV-specific CTL responses.

BCG Hsp65 and PADRE have been shown to be potent to enhance antigen specific immunity. In order to explore the possibility to utilize them for the development of HBV therapeutic vaccine, a chimeric protein, Hsp65-HBV, was created by fusing PADRE and epitopes from HBV to the carboxyl-terminus of BCG Hsp65 and expressed in E. coli.

Preparation and properties of composites with staggered alignment of carbon nanotubes induced by electric field.

In this paper, bulk polymeric composites with staggered orientation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in polymer matrix were prepared by means of a macro layer-by-layer (MLBL) method, while an alternating current (AC) electric field was applied for inducing alignment of the CNTs. Test results verified that there existed a relationship between conductive capacity of the composites and orientation of the CNTs in matrix. Conductivity of the composites containing aligned CNTs represented a dependency on time and testing history on the composite specimens.

PET imaging of norepinephrine transporter-expressing tumors using 76Br-meta-bromobenzylguanidine.

Unlabelled: Meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) labeled with (123)I or (131)I has been widely used for the diagnosis and radiotherapy of norepinephrine transporter (NET)-expressing tumors. However, (123)I/(131)I-MIBG has limitations for detecting small lesions because of its lower spatial resolution than PET tracers. In this study, meta-bromobenzylguanidine (MBBG) labeled with (76)Br (half-life, 16.

Alignment of carbon nanotubes in poly(methyl methacrylate) composites induced by electric field.

An ideal carbon nanotube (CNT) network structure in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) can be attained by adjusting simultaneously both evolution of the CNTs alignment in methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer under alternating current (AC) electric field and polymerization of MMA. Alignment of the CNTs in liquid media is time dependent and can be enhanced by increasing suitably the voltage and frequency of the electric field. There is an optimal time window in which the ideal alignment is achieved after which the alignment degrades and the CNTs start to agglomerate due to the transverse interactions.

Main-effects model is a special kind of additive model in the presence of linkage disequilibrium.

Objective: Statistical epistasis refers to a departure from additivity on some scale related to a trait. The implication of it may vary due to the choice of scale. In this paper, we focus on statistical epistasis between two loci for a binary trait and mainly investigate two common scales, the penetrance and the variance of the penetrance.

[Electricity generation by the microbial fuel cells using carbon nanotube as the anode].

The characteristic of anode plays an important role in the performance of the microbial fuel cell (MFC). Thus, carbon nanotube (CN), flexible graphite (FG) and activated carbon (AC) were used as anode material in this study, and the performances of three MFCs (CN-MFC, FG-MFC and AC-MFC) were studied. The results show that CN is a kind of suitable material to be used as anode in the MFC.

Sonophotocatalytic degradation of methyl orange by carbon nanotube/TiO2 in aqueous solutions.

In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/TiO2 composite were prepared and the sonophotocatalytic activity of CNTs/TiO2 nanoparticles was investigated, in which methyl orange (MO) was chosen as an object. The results indicate that the photocatalytic efficiency of CNTs/TiO2 remarkable increases in the presence of ultrasound, and the sonophotocatalysis process followed a first-order kinetics. The kinetic constant of CNTs/TiO2 for the MO degradation is 2.