Suppressing the Surface Recombination and Tuning the Open-Circuit Voltage of Polymer/Fullerene Solar Cells by Implementing an Aggregative Ternary Compound.

In this work, we present a novel small molecule based on dithienylthienothiadiazole units (named SM1) acting as an efficient component in ternary blend organic solar cells to modify the hole extraction at the interface. Our findings show that the SM1 suppresses the surface recombination and enhances the open-circuit voltage ( V). By introducing SM1 in a host system composed of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl- C-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), we obtained V values of up to 0.

Basal caspase activity promotes migration and invasiveness in glioblastoma cells.

Glioblastomas, the most malignant of all brain tumors, are characterized by cellular resistance to apoptosis and a highly invasive growth pattern. These factors contribute to the poor response of glioblastomas to radiochemotherapy and prevent their complete neurosurgical resection. However, the driving force behind the distinct motility of glioma cells is only partly understood.

Microsatellite instability in pediatric and adult high-grade gliomas.

About 15% of sporadic gastrointestinal and endometrial tumors show the microsatellite instability (MSI) phenotype because of loss of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) function. The incidence of MSI in tumors of the central nervous system still remains controversial. Previous studies reported a particular high frequency of MSI (approximately 25%) in young patients suffering from high-grade gliomas.

Troglitazone sensitizes tumor cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis via down-regulation of FLIP and Survivin.

Induction of apoptosis by the death ligand TRAIL might be a promising therapeutic approach in cancer therapy. However, since not all tumor cells are sensitive to TRAIL, there is a need for the development of strategies to overcome TRAIL-resistance. The results of the present study show that the anti-diabetic drug troglitazone sensitizes human glioma and neuroblastoma cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis.