Cerium nitrate enhances anti-bacterial effects and imparts anti-inflammatory properties to silver dressings in a rat scald burn model.

Current commercially available silver-based wound dressings such as silver-nylon have been used as antimicrobial barriers for burn and trauma care in combat conditions for over 10 years. However, these dressings do not stabilize the eschar or reduce its toxicity. Cerium nitrate (CN) solutions have been established clinically to stabilize the eschar by decreasing release of inflammatory mediators from burned tissue thereby allowing delayed excision and grafting.

T3SS and alginate biosynthesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa impair healing of infected rabbit wounds.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (a Gram-negative bacterium) is an opportunistic pathogen found in many infected wounds and is known to impair healing. To test the hypothesis that knocking out P. aeruginosa genes that are overexpressed during wound infection can cripple a pathogen's ability to impair healing, we assessed two pathways: the Type III secretion system (T3SS) and alginate biosynthesis.

Cerium Nitrate Treatment Provides Eschar Stabilization through Reduction in Bioburden, DAMPs, and Inflammatory Cytokines in a Rat Scald Burn Model.

In this study, we used a clinically relevant rat scald burn model to determine the treatment effects of cerium nitrate (CN) for stabilizing burn eschars through reduction of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), inflammatory cytokines, and bioburden. Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized before undergoing a scald burn at 99°C for 6 seconds to create a 10% full-thickness burn. The test groups included sham burn, burn with water bathing, and burn with CN bathing.

Formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms in Full-thickness Scald Burn Wounds in Rats.

Using Sprague-Dawley rats (350-450 g; n = 61) and the recently updated Walker-Mason rat scald burn model, we demonstrated that Pseudomonas aeruginosa readily formed biofilms within full-thickness burn wounds. Following the burn, wounds were surface-inoculated with P. aeruginosa in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), while sterile PBS was used for controls.

Development of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms in Partial-Thickness Burn Wounds Using a Sprague-Dawley Rat Model.

We used a modified Walker-Mason scald burn rat model to demonstrate that Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common opportunistic pathogen in the burn ward and notable biofilm former, establishes biofilms within deep partial-thickness burn wounds in rats.Deep partial-thickness burn wounds, ~10% of the TBSA, were created in anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats (350-450 g; n = 84). Immediately post-burn, 100 µl of P.

A hierarchical CoFeS/reduced graphene oxide composite for highly efficient counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Transition metal sulfides are a kind of potential candidates for efficient and stable CE materials in DSSCs due to their good electrocatalytic ability and stability towards I reduction. However, the low conductivity of sulfides is harmful for the electron collection and transfer process, and the absorption/desorption and diffusion process of I/I should be optimized to achieve high electrocatalytic activity over Pt. Herein, a hierarchical CoFeS/reduced graphene oxide (CoFeS/rGO) composite was rationally designed and prepared via the in situ conversion of CoFe layer double hydroxide anchored on rGO.

Mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of three kinds of straws/nylon 6 composites.

After alkali treatment, wheat straw, maize straw and rice straw were mixed with a mixture of nylon 6 (PA6) and prepared into composites using the melt blending method. The mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of three kinds of straw fiber/PA6 composites were studied using tensile and impact tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that increasing of the three kinds of straw fibers initially increased the tensile strength of the composites and then decreased, and that the tensile strength reached a maximum value when the wheat straw fiber content was 10%, which was 56.

Silver Sulfadiazine Retards Wound Healing and Increases Hypertrophic Scarring in a Rabbit Ear Excisional Wound Model.

This study evaluated the effects of topical use of silver sulfadiazine cream (SSD) on wound healing and subsequent scarring in a rabbit ear wound model. Seven millimeter full-thickness excisional wounds were created in rabbit ears. Twenty-four rabbits were randomized into four groups in which each group received base cream, 0.

RNA-Seq Transcriptomic Responses of Full-Thickness Dermal Excision Wounds to Pseudomonas aeruginosa Acute and Biofilm Infection.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections of wounds in clinical settings are major complications whose outcomes are influenced by host responses that are not completely understood. Herein we evaluated transcriptomic changes of wounds as they counter P. aeruginosa infection-first active infection, and then chronic biofilm infection.

Exacerbated and prolonged inflammation impairs wound healing and increases scarring.

Altered inflammation in the early stage has long been assumed to affect subsequent steps of the repair process that could influence proper wound healing and remodeling. However, the lack of explicit experimental data makes the connection between dysregulated wound inflammation and poor wound healing elusive. To bridge this gap, we used the established rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model for studying the causal effect of dysregulated inflammation.

Homogeneous synthesis of chitin-based acrylate superabsorbents in NaOH/urea solution.

A modified freezing-thawing cyclic (FTC) process was applied to dissolve the chitin in NaOH/urea solution. A transparent homogeneous solution was obtained. It was utilized directly for preparing the superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) by grafting copolymerization under static solution conditions without nitrogen protection.

Direct and efficient cellular transformation of primary rat mesenchymal precursor cells by KSHV.

Infections by viruses are associated with approximately 12% of human cancer. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is causally linked to several malignancies commonly found in AIDS patients. The mechanism of KSHV-induced oncogenesis remains elusive, due in part to the lack of an adequate experimental system for cellular transformation of primary cells.

Self-assembled heavy lanthanide orthovanadate architecture with controlled dimensionality and morphology.

Nearly monodisperse YVO(4) architectures with persimmon-like, cube-like and nanoparticle shapes have been synthesised on a large scale by means of a complexing-agent-assisted solution route. The shape and size of these as-prepared architectures can be tuned effectively by controlling the reaction conditions, such as reaction time, the molar ratio of complexing agent/Y(3+) and different complexing agents. As a typical morphology, the growth process of monodisperse nanopersimmons has been examined.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus disrupts adherens junctions and increases endothelial permeability by inducing degradation of VE-cadherin.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a vascular tumor of proliferative endothelial cells caused by KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection. Aberrant vascular permeability is a hallmark of KS manifested as multifocal edematous skin and visceral lesions with dysregulated angiogenesis and vast inflammatory infiltrations. In this study, we showed that KSHV infection increased the permeability of confluent endothelial monolayers to serum albumin, blood-derived cells, KSHV-infected cells, and KSHV virions.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection promotes invasion of primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells by inducing matrix metalloproteinases.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in cancer invasion, angiogenesis, and inflammatory infiltration. Kaposi's sarcoma is a highly disseminated angiogenic tumor of proliferative endothelial cells linked to infection by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). In this study, we showed that KSHV infection increased the invasiveness of primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in a Matrigel-based cell invasion assay.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus promotes angiogenesis by inducing angiopoietin-2 expression via AP-1 and Ets1.

Infection by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is required for the development of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), a highly inflammatory angiogenic tumor of endothelial cells commonly found in untreated AIDS patients. Angiopoietin 2 (Ang-2) modulates the vasculature during inflammation and angiogenesis, but the mechanism by which KSHV regulates Ang-2 expression has not been investigated. Here, we show that KSHV infection of primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells induced the expression and release of Ang-2, which in turn was required for KSHV-induced paracrine-dependent angiogenesis in vivo.

Radiation to stromal fibroblasts increases invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells through tumor-stromal interactions.

Radiotherapy represents a major treatment option for patients with pancreatic cancer, but recent evidence suggests that radiation can promote invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. Interactions between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells may play an important role in aggressive tumor progression. In the present study, we investigated the invasive phenotype of pancreatic cancer cells in response to coculture with irradiated fibroblasts.

Radiation stimulates HGF receptor/c-Met expression that leads to amplifying cellular response to HGF stimulation via upregulated receptor tyrosine phosphorylation and MAP kinase activity in pancreatic cancer cells.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a stromal-derived cytokine that plays a crucial role in invasion and metastasis of tumor cells through the interaction with HGF receptor, c-Met, which is frequently overexpressed in pancreatic cancer. The present study was designed to investigate the change in HGF receptor and HGF-mediated signaling after irradiation in pancreatic cancer cells. Six cell lines from human pancreatic cancer were included in the study.

Co-cultivation of pancreatic cancer cells with orthotopic tumor-derived fibroblasts: fibroblasts stimulate tumor cell invasion via HGF secretion whereas cancer cells exert a minor regulative effect on fibroblasts HGF production.

The intensive stromal reaction is one of characteristics of pancreatic exocrine carcinoma. The mutual interaction between pancreatic cancer cells and orthotopic tumor-derived fibroblasts have not been clarified yet. In this study, we sought to elucidate the mechanism underlying the tumor-stromal interaction with an in vitro coculture experimental system.

A nitroimidazole derivative, PR-350, enhances the killing of pancreatic cancer cells exposed to high-dose irradiation under hypoxia.

The radiosensitizing effects of PR-350, a nitroimidazole derivative, were examined concerning the cell killing of human pancreatic cancer cell lines exposed to high doses of gamma-ray irradiation in vitro. The percentages of dead cells were analyzed with a multiwell plate reader to measure the fluorescence intensity of propidium iodide before and after a digitonin treatment. The sensitizing effect of PR-350 on cell killing by high-dose irradiation was confirmed by time-course, dose-dependency, and microscopic observations.

Radiation-induced increase in invasive potential of human pancreatic cancer cells and its blockade by a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, CGS27023.

Purpose: Radiotherapy remains a major therapeutic option for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Nevertheless, the effects of irradiation on malignant biological behaviors (e.g.