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Odgaard Raahauge posted an update a month ago
Eribulin is a novel microtubule inhibitor that, similar to other types of microtubule inhibitors, induces apoptosis by inhibiting the mitotic division of cells. Besides this direct effect on tumor cells, previous studies have shown that eribulin has the potential to induce tumor vascular remodeling in several different cancers; however, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate whether eribulin is effective against synovial sarcoma, a relatively rare sarcoma that often affects adolescents and young adults, and to histologically investigate the microstructure of tumor vessels after the administration of eribulin. We found that eribulin exhibits potent antitumor activity against synovial sarcoma in a tumor xenograft model and that tumor vessels frequently have intervascular pillars, a hallmark of intussusceptive angiogenesis (IA), after the administration of eribulin. IA is a distinct form of angiogenesis that is involved in normal developmental processes as well as pathological conditions. Our data indicate that IA is potentially involved in eribulin-induced vascular remodeling and thereby suggest previously unacknowledged role of IA in regulating the tumor vasculature after eribulin administration.The lack of a simple, fast and efficient method for protein delivery is limiting the widespread application of in-cell experiments, which are crucial for understanding the cellular function. We present here an innovative strategy to deliver proteins into both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, exploiting thermal vesiculation. This method allows to internalize substantial amounts of proteins, with different molecular weight and conformation, without compromising the structural properties and cell viability. Characterizing proteins in a physiological environment is essential as the environment can dramatically affect the conformation and dynamics of biomolecules as shown by in-cell EPR spectra vs those acquired in buffer solution. Considering its versatility, this method opens the possibility to scientists to study proteins directly in living cells through a wide range of techniques.During the first year of life, infants undergo a process known as perceptual narrowing, which reduces their sensitivity to classes of stimuli which the infants do not encounter in their environment. It has been proposed that perceptual narrowing for faces and speech may be driven by shared domain-general processes. To investigate this theory, our study longitudinally tested 50 German Caucasian infants with respect to these domains first at 6 months of age followed by a second testing at 9 months of age. We used an infant-controlled habituation-dishabituation paradigm to test the infants’ ability to discriminate among other-race Asian faces and non-native Cantonese speech tones, as well as same-race Caucasian faces as a control. We found that while at 6 months of age infants could discriminate among all stimuli, by 9 months of age they could no longer discriminate among other-race faces or non-native tones. However, infants could discriminate among same-race stimuli both at 6 and at 9 months of age. These results demonstrate that the same infants undergo perceptual narrowing for both other-race faces and non-native speech tones between the ages of 6 and 9 months. This parallel development of perceptual narrowing occurring in both the face and speech perception modalities over the same period of time lends support to the domain-general theory of perceptual narrowing in face and speech perception.
Infant massage, in which mothers stroke their infant’s skin slowly and gently, can cause pleasant sensations in the infant that can be affected by the velocity of massage. However, the massage velocity at which infants feel the most pleasant sensations remains unclear.
To investigate the effects of massage velocity on heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) in healthy infants.
Twenty-two infant-mother dyads two to seven months of age were recruited. Mothers stroked their infant’s skin at three massage velocities (5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 cm/s) in a randomized order for 15 min. The rhythm of massage velocity was calculated according to the length of three body areas. The massage velocity of the mothers was regulated using a metronome. HR and HRV (high frequency [HF] and low frequency [LF]) were measured at rest and during massage for each velocity. AICAR phosphate The effects on pleasantness were evaluated using percent change in median baseline value compared with median values for the three massage velocities. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance mixed effect models to exclude “period” and “carryover” effects during massage.
When measuring HF, massage (7.5 cm/s) caused a significant increase in pleasantness compared with 10.0 cm/s (p = 0.04). The HR and LF/HF ratio were not significantly changed between velocities.
Results of this study suggested that a massage velocity of 7.5 cm/s was the most pleasant for infants. Future research should investigate the relationship between an infant massage by optimal velocity and infant development in longitudinal studies.
Results of this study suggested that a massage velocity of 7.5 cm/s was the most pleasant for infants. Future research should investigate the relationship between an infant massage by optimal velocity and infant development in longitudinal studies.
Secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) is important for mucosal immunity due to the inhibition of pathogen infection. The submandibular gland is known to secrete more sIgA than the parotid and sublingual glands. In this study, we focused on the relationship between the secretion of accumulated intracellular sIgA and β-adrenergic receptor stimulation, and clarified the autonomic regulatory mechanism of sIgA secretion in submandibular gland cells using dispersed gland cells.
Sprague-Dawley rats (male, 6 weeks old, 200-250 g) were euthanized and their submandibular glands were removed. Dispersed submandibular gland cells placed in Krebs-Ringer-Bicarbonate solution were stimulated by autonomic nerve agonists. The concentration of secreted sIgA was measured using a rat IgA ELISA kit. The results were analysed using ANOVA and Tukey’s test.
Cells stimulated with the non-selective β-adrenoreceptor agonist, isoprenaline, secreted significantly more sIgA compared with the unstimulated control. The β2-adrenoreceptor agonist, fenoterol, caused significantly more sIgA secretion than the control, and more sIgA secretion than the β1-adrenoreceptor agonist, xamoterol.