Prior Fc receptor activation primes macrophages for increased sensitivity to IgG via long-term and short-term mechanisms.

Macrophages measure the "eat-me" signal immunoglobulin G (IgG) to identify targets for phagocytosis. We tested whether prior encounters with IgG influence macrophage appetite. IgG is recognized by the Fc receptor.

Survival-Associated Cellular Response Maintained in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) Switched Between Soft and Stiff 3D Microgel Culture.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) accounts for about 90% of all pancreatic cancer cases. Five-year survival rates have remained below 12% since the 1970s, in part due to the difficulty in detection prior to metastasis (migration and invasion into neighboring organs and glands). Mechanical memory is a concept that has emerged over the past decade that may provide a path toward understanding how invading PDAC cells "remember" the mechanical properties of their diseased ("stiff", elastic modulus, ≈ 10 kPa) microenvironment even while invading a healthy ("soft", ≈ 1 kPa) microenvironment.

models of soft tissue damage by implant-associated frictional shear stresses.

Silicone elastomer medical implants are ubiquitous in medicine, particularly for breast augmentation. However, when these devices are placed within the body, disruption of the natural biological interfaces occurs, which significantly changes the native energy-dissipation mechanisms of living systems. These new interfaces can introduce non-physiological contact pressures and tribological conditions that provoke inflammation and soft tissue damage.

Silicone Implant Surface Roughness, Friction, and Wear.

Textured silicone breast implants with high average surface roughness ("macrotextured") have been associated with a rare cancer of the immune system, Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). Silicone elastomer wear debris may lead to chronic inflammation, a key step in the development of this cancer. Here, we model the generation and release of silicone wear debris in the case of a folded implant-implant ("shell-shell") sliding interface for three different types of implants, characterized by their surface roughness.