Electric Fields Regulate In Vitro Surface Phosphatidylserine Exposure of Cancer Cells via a Calcium-Dependent Pathway.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide after heart disease. The current treatment options to fight cancer are limited, and there is a critical need for better treatment strategies. During the last several decades, several electric field (EF)-based approaches for anti-cancer therapies have been introduced, such as electroporation and tumor-treating fields; still, they are far from optimal due to their invasive nature, limited efficacy and significant side effects.

Phosphatidylserine: The Unique Dual-Role Biomarker for Cancer Imaging and Therapy.

Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide. In recent years, many cancer-associated biomarkers have been identified that are used for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, screening, and early detection, as well as for predicting and monitoring carcinogenesis and therapeutic effectiveness. Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a negatively charged phospholipid which is predominantly located in the inner leaflet of the cell membrane.

Temperature effects in contacts between a metal and a semiconductor nanowire near the degenerate doping.

We have investigated the nonlinear conductance in diffusion-doped Si:GaAs nanowires contacted by patterned metal films in a wide range of temperatures <i>T</i>. The wire resistance R_W and the zero bias resistance R_C, dominated by the contacts, exhibit very different responses to temperature changes. While R_W shows almost no dependence on <i>T</i>, R_C varies by several orders of magnitude as the devices are cooled from room temperature to T= 5 K.

Regulation of endothelial MAPK/ERK signalling and capillary morphogenesis by low-amplitude electric field.

Low-amplitude electric field (EF) is an important component of wound-healing response and can promote vascular tissue repair; however, the mechanisms of action on endothelium remain unclear. We hypothesized that physiological amplitude EF regulates angiogenic response of microvascular endothelial cells via activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway. A custom set-up allowed non-thermal application of EF of high (7.

Diabetes alters intracellular calcium transients in cardiac endothelial cells.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a diabetic complication, which results in myocardial dysfunction independent of other etiological factors. Abnormal intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) homeostasis has been implicated in DCM and may precede clinical manifestation. Studies in cardiomyocytes have shown that diabetes results in impaired [Ca(2+)](i) homeostasis due to altered sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA) and sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) activity.

Magnetic-field-induced crossover to a nonuniversal regime in a Kondo dot.

We have measured the magnetic splitting Delta K of a Kondo peak in the differential conductance of a single-electron transistor while tuning the Kondo temperature T K along two different paths in parameter space: varying the dot-lead coupling at a constant dot energy and vice versa. At a high magnetic field B, the changes of DeltaK with TK along the two paths have opposite signs, indicating that Delta K is not a universal function of TK. At low B, we observe a decrease in DeltaK with TK along both paths, in agreement with theoretical predictions.

Photon-induced Kondo satellites in a single-electron transistor.

We measure the differential conductance of a single-electron transistor (SET) irradiated with microwaves. The spin-entangled many-electron Kondo state produces a zero-bias peak in the dc differential conductance if the quantum dot in the SET contains an unpaired electron. When the photon energy hf is comparable to the energy width of the Kondo peak and to e (the charge on the electron) times the microwave voltage across the dot, satellites appear in the differential conductance shifted in voltage by +/-hf/e from the zero-bias resonance.

Onset of convection in a very compressible fluid: the transient toward steady state.

We analyze the time profile deltaT(t) of the temperature difference, measured across a very compressible supercritical 3He fluid layer in its convective state. The experiments were done along the critical isochore in a Rayleigh-Bénard cell after starting the vertical constant heat flow q. For q sufficiently well above that needed for the convection onset, the transient deltaT(t) for a given epsilon identical with (T-T(c))/T(c), with T(c)=3.