Heterogeneity of Circulating Tumor Cell Neoplastic Subpopulations Outlined by Single-Cell Transcriptomics.

Fatal metastasis occurs when circulating tumor cells (CTCs) disperse through the blood to initiate a new tumor at specific sites distant from the primary tumor. CTCs have been classically defined as nucleated cells positive for epithelial cell adhesion molecule and select cytokeratins (EpCAM/CK/DAPI), while negative for the common lymphocyte marker CD45. The enumeration of CTCs allows an estimation of the overall metastatic burden in breast cancer patients, but challenges regarding CTC heterogeneity and metastatic propensities persist, and their decryption could improve therapies.

Mechanical, Cellular, and Proteomic Properties of Laryngotracheal Cartilage.

The larynx sometimes requires repair and reconstruction due to cancer resection, trauma, stenosis, or developmental disruptions. Bioengineering has provided some scaffolding materials and initial attempts at tissue engineering, especially of the trachea, have been made. The critical issues of providing protection, maintaining a patent airway, and controlling swallowing and phonation, require that the regenerated laryngotracheal cartilages must have mechanical and material properties that closely mimic native tissue.

The role of SDF-1α-ECM crosstalk in determining neural stem cell fate.

The consequences of central nervous system injury are far-reaching and debilitating and, while an endogenous repair response to neural injury has been observed in recent years, the mechanisms behind this response remain unclear. Neural progenitor/stem cell (NPSC) migration to the site of injury from the neural stem cell niches (e.g.

Voriconazole is cytotoxic at locally delivered concentrations: a pilot study.

Background: Fungal infections are rare but major problems when they involve orthopaedic implants. Preferred treatment in North America is two-staged: resection and then delayed reconstruction, with local delivery of an antifungal between stages. The effect of voriconazole, a hydrophobic antifungal, on local tissues and wound healing is unclear.

Voriconazole is delivered from antifungal-loaded bone cement.

Background: Local delivery of antifungals is an important modality in managing orthopaedic fungal infection. Voriconazole is a powder antifungal suitable for addition to bone cement that is released from bone cement but the mechanical properties of antimicrobial-loaded bone cement (ALBC) made with voriconazole are unknown.

Questions/purposes: (1) Is voriconazole release dose-dependent? (2) Is released voriconazole active? (3) Is the loss of ALBC's compressive strength caused by voriconazole dose- and elution-dependent?

Methods: Sixty standard test cylinders were fabricated with ALBC: 300 or 600 mg voriconazole per batch eluted for 30 days in deionized water.

Liposomal formulation increases local delivery of amphotericin from bone cement: a pilot study.

Background: Amphotericin is a highly toxic hydrophobic antifungal. Delivery of amphotericin from antifungal-loaded bone cement (ALBC) is much lower than would be expected for an equivalent load of water-soluble antibacterials. Lipid formulations have been developed to decrease amphotericin toxicity.

Temporal differences in Erk1/2 activity distinguish among combinations of extracellular matrix components.

Rational design of biomaterials requires understanding how cells interrogate their microenvironment. In this study, human umbilical vein endothelial cells are cultured on combinations of extracellular matrix (ECM) components (collagen I, collagen IV, vitronectin, fibronectin, laminin, heparan sulfate proteoglycan, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan), and the phosphorylation of four intracellular signaling kinases (Erk1/2, JNK, Akt1, and NFκB) is quantified. These combinations of ECM components elicit different temporal patterns of Erk1/2 phosphorylation.

Degradation, cytotoxicity, and biocompatibility of NIPAAm-based thermosensitive, injectable, and bioresorbable polymer hydrogels.

A thermosensitive, injectable, and bioresorbable polymer hydrogel, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-dimethyl-γ-butyrolactone acrylate-co-acrylic acid) [poly(NDBA)], was synthesized by radical copolymerization with 7.00 mol % dimethyl-γ-butyrolactone acrylate in tetrahydrofuran. The chemical composition was determined by acid titration in conjunction with (1) H NMR quantification.

Amphotericin B is cytotoxic at locally delivered concentrations.

Background: Orthopaedic fungal infections are commonly treated with systemic amphotericin, which has a narrow therapeutic index and is associated with systemic toxicities. Local delivery of amphotericin has been described yet is poorly understood. As with bacterial infections, fungal infections are associated with biofilm.

Manipulating degradation time in a N-isopropylacrylamide-based co-polymer with hydrolysis-dependent LCST.

A thermosensitive, bioresorbable and in situ gelling co-polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-dimethyl-gamma-butyrolactone acrylate-co-acrylic acid), was synthesized by radical co-polymerization with varying dimethyl-gamma-butyrolactone acrylate (DBA) content. The materials properties were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, gel-permeation chromatography in conjunction with static light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and acid titration. The initial lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the synthesized co-polymer is between room temperature and body temperature.

In-situ injectable physically and chemically gelling NIPAAm-based copolymer system for embolization.

The goal of this work is to make an injectable physically and chemically cross-linking NIPAAm-based copolymer system for endovascular embolization. A copolymer with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was synthesized and converted to poly(NIPAAm-co-HEMA-acrylate) functionalized with olefins. When poly(NIPAAm-co-HEMA-acrylate) was mixed with pentaerythritol tetrakis 3-mercaptopropionate (QT) stoichiometrically in a 0.