Targeting ROCK2 improves macromolecular permeability in a 3D fibrotic pancreatic cancer microenvironment model.

Pancreatic cancer is characterized by a densely fibrotic stroma. The fibrotic stroma hinders the intratumoral penetration of nanomedicine and diminishes therapeutic efficacy. Fibrosis is characterized by an abnormal organization of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, namely the abnormal deposition and/or orientation of collagen and fibronectin.

Therapeutic Strategies to Overcome Fibrotic Barriers to Nanomedicine in the Pancreatic Tumor Microenvironment.

Pancreatic cancer is notorious for its dismal prognosis. The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect theory posits that nanomedicines (therapeutics in the size range of approximately 10-200 nm) selectively accumulate in tumors. Nanomedicine has thus been suggested to be the "magic bullet"-both effective and safe-to treat pancreatic cancer.

[Asymmetric Pair-Merger Analysis in English Preposition Stranding].

In this paper I explain a well-known grammatical contrast that has been studied in the framework of Generative Grammar: the contrast between arguments and adjuncts in the preposition stranding of Wh-Questions. I make use of some recent minimalist studies: the Labeling Algorithm (LA) and the external Pair-Merger analysis based on LA. I also show that the grammaticality of heavy DP shift (HDPS) constructions, which have the same syntactic properties as Wh-questions but do not show the contrast between arguments and adjuncts in preposition stranding, can be adequately explained by the above analysis and some additional assumptions in Phase Theory.

[Modeling and Analysis of Disease Microenvironments with 3D Cell Culture Technology].

Remarkable progress in our ability to analyze diseased tissue has revolutionized our understanding of disease. From a simplistic understanding of abnormalities in bulk tissue, there is now increasing recognition that the heterogeneous and dynamically evolving disease microenvironment plays a crucial role in disease pathogenesis and progression as well as in the determination of therapeutic response. The disease microenvironment consists of multiple cell types as well as the various factors that these cells secrete.

The role of synthetic oils in controlling hydrogen permeation of rolling/sliding contacts.

Bearing steels suffer from degradation of mechanical properties when atomic hydrogen diffuses into the steel from the contact surface. In rolling contact fatigue tests this can lead to a significant reduction in fatigue life of the specimens as the amount of hydrogen diffused into the steel increases. To mitigate this challenge, synthetic oils of different chemistry have been studied so as to identify their efficiency and mechanism of retarding or preventing hydrogen permeation.

3D Model of Vascular Medial Thickening in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), excessive proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) causes vascular medial thickening. Medial thickening is a histopathological hallmark of pulmonary vascular remodeling, the central disease process driving PAH progression. Pulmonary vascular remodeling causes stenosis and/or obstruction of small pulmonary arteries.

Heterotypic 3D pancreatic cancer model with tunable proportion of fibrotic elements.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an often lethal disease characterized by a dense, fibrotic stroma. However, the lack of relevant preclinical models that recapitulate the characteristic histopathology of human PDAC in vitro impedes the development of novel therapies. The amount of stromal elements differ largely within and between patients, but in vitro models of human PDAC often do not account for this heterogeneity.

Antibiotic prescriptions for Japanese outpatients with acute respiratory tract infections (2013-2015): A retrospective Observational Study.

Objectives: Appropriate antibiotic prescriptions for outpatients with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are urgently needed in Japan. However, the empirical proof of this need is under-documented. Therefore, we aimed to determine antibiotic prescription rates, and the proportions of antibiotic classes prescribed for Japanese patients with ARTIs.

Hydrocarbon Lubricants Can Control Hydrogen Embrittlement.

While it is well known that during RCF tests the formation of nascent catalytic sites on the wear track can break down hydrocarbon molecules to release atomic hydrogen, the potential of the hydrogen environment in fuel cells to hydrocrack the hydrocarbon lubricant in high pressure rolling contacts has so far been ignored. Here we investigate for the first time the ability of the hydrogen environment to generate a chemical tribofilm on the wear track most likely through lubricant hydrocracking, as compared with argon and air environments. Despite the ability of the hydrogen environment to generate a notably larger amount of atomic hydrogen, the chemical tribofilm significantly prevents the formation of atomic hydrogen and its subsequent diffusion through the lattice of steel rolling element bearings.

Oral anticoagulants usage in Japanese patients aged 18-74 years with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: a retrospective analysis based on insurance claims data.

Background: Oral anticoagulants use has increased rapidly, internationally. Here we look at risks and benefits, based on Japanese data, of therapy with low risk non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients.

Objectives: Using a health insurance claims data set we assessed: (i) oral anticoagulants usage in Japan, and (ii) efficacy and safety of dabigatran compared with warfarin, in Japanese patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, aged 18-74 years.

In vivo rendezvous of small nucleic acid drugs with charge-matched block catiomers to target cancers.

Stabilisation of fragile oligonucleotides, typically small interfering RNA (siRNA), is one of the most critical issues for oligonucleotide therapeutics. Many previous studies encapsulated oligonucleotides into ~100-nm nanoparticles. However, such nanoparticles inevitably accumulate in liver and spleen.

Pancreatic stellate cells derived from human pancreatic cancer demonstrate aberrant SPARC-dependent ECM remodeling in 3D engineered fibrotic tissue of clinically relevant thickness.

Desmoplasia is a hallmark of pancreatic cancer and consists of fibrotic cells and secreted extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Various in vitro three-dimensional (3D) models of desmoplasia have been reported, but little is known about the relevant thickness of the engineered fibrotic tissue. We thus measured the thickness of fibrotic tissue in human pancreatic cancer, as defined by the distance from the blood vessel wall to tumor cells.

Pattern of antibiotic prescriptions for outpatients with acute respiratory tract infections in Japan, 2013-15: a retrospective observational study.

Background: In this age of antimicrobial resistance, unnecessary use of antibiotics to treat non-bacterial acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) and inappropriate use of antibiotics in treating bacterial ARTIs are public health concerns.

Purpose: Our aim is to identify the pattern of oral antibiotic prescriptions for outpatients with ARTIs in Japan.

Methods: We analysed health insurance claims data of patients (aged ≤74 years) from 2013 to 2015, to determine the pattern of antibiotic prescriptions for outpatient ARTIs and calculated the proportion of each antibiotic.

[On English Multiple Discourse-Related Movement].

In light of the cartographic Complementizer Phrase (CP) analysis, in which two computationally requisite functional projections (i.e., Force Phrase: ForceP and Finite Phrase: FinP) sandwich two optional discourse-related projections (i.

Retraction notice to Granisetron, droperidol, and metoclopramide for the treatment of established postoperative nausea and vomiting in women undergoing gynecologic surgery: Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;182:13-16.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal).

Stromal barriers to nanomedicine penetration in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment.

Pancreatic cancer is known for its dismal prognosis despite efforts to improve therapeutic outcome. Recently, cancer nanomedicine, application of nanotechnology to cancer diagnosis and treatment, has gained interest for treatment of pancreatic cancer. The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect that promotes selective accumulation of nanometer-sized molecules within tumors is the theoretical rationale of treatment.

Retraction notice to "A Randomized, Double-Blind Comparison of Granisetron Alone and Combined with Dexamethasone for Post-Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Emetic Symptoms": [CTR 64/8 (2003) 514- 521].

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1016/j.curtheres.

Retraction notice to "Treatment of postoperative emetic symptoms with granisetron in women undergoing abdominal hysterectomy: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study": [CTR 65/4 (2004) 321-329].

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1016/j.curtheres.

Self-lubricating Al-WS composites for efficient and greener tribological parts.

Due to their mechanical and physical properties, aluminium alloys possess wide potential in the automotive industry, particularly in hot reciprocating applications such as pistons for diesel and petrol engines. WS particle-reinforced composites could bring further improvements by reducing friction and wear between moving parts. Reducing friction improves efficiency by lowering energy/fuel use, ultimately leading to lower greenhouse gas emissions, while antiwear properties can prolong component life.

Effects of Environmental Gas and Trace Water on the Friction of DLC Sliding with Metals.

This paper describes an experimental study on the friction of a-C:H diamond-like carbon (DLC) and ta-C DLC coatings in gas with different concentration of trace water. Pin-on-disk sliding experiments were conducted with DLC coated disks and aluminum pins in hydrogen, nitrogen, and argon. Trace oxygen was eliminated to less than 0.

Desmoplastic Reaction in 3D-Pancreatic Cancer Tissues Suppresses Molecular Permeability.

The survival rate of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is still the lowest among all types of cancers, primarily as a consequence of an important desmoplastic reaction. Although the presence of thick stromal tissues in pancreatic tumors has been reported, in vivo animal studies do not enable a clear understanding of the crosstalk between cancer cells and fibroblasts. Accordingly, this paper reports the design and characterization of an in vitro pancreatic cancer-stromal 3D-tissue model, which enhances the understanding of the interactions between cancer cells and fibroblasts and their influence on the secretion of extracellular matrix (ECM).

Regulation of endothelial Fas expression as a mechanism of promotion of vascular integrity by mural cells in tumors.

Angiogenesis is a multi-step process that culminates in vascular maturation whereby nascent vessels stabilize to become functional, and mural cells play an essential role in this process. Recent studies have shown that mural cells in tumors also promote and maintain vascular integrity, with wide-reaching clinical implications including the regulation of tumor growth, metastases, and drug delivery. Various regulatory signaling pathways have been hitherto implicated, but whether regulation of Fas-dependent apoptotic mechanisms is involved has not yet been fully investigated.

A Minimalist Analysis of English Topicalization: A Phase-Based Cartographic Complementizer Phrase (CP) Perspective.

Under the basic tenet that syntactic derivation offers an optimal solution to both phonological realization and semantic interpretation of linguistic expression, the recent minimalist framework of syntactic theory claims that the basic unit for the derivation is equivalent to a syntactic propositional element, which is called a phase. In this analysis, syntactic derivation is assumed to proceed at phasal projections that include Complementizer Phrases (CP). However, there have been pointed out some empirical problems with respect to the failure of multiple occurrences of discourse-related elements in the CP domain.