Autophagy and Biomaterials: A Brief Overview of the Impact of Autophagy in Biomaterial Applications.

Macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy), a tightly regulated physiological process that obliterates dysfunctional and damaged organelles and proteins, has a crucial role when biomaterials are applied for various purposes, including diagnosis, treatment, tissue engineering, and targeted drug delivery. The unparalleled physiochemical properties of nanomaterials make them a key component of medical strategies in different areas, such as osteogenesis, angiogenesis, neurodegenerative disease treatment, and cancer therapy. The application of implants and their modulatory effects on autophagy have been known in recent years.

Targeting cholesterol metabolism in glioblastoma: a new therapeutic approach in cancer therapy.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive malignant brain tumor known with a poor survival rate despite current advances in the field of cancer. Additional research into the pathophysiology of GBM is urgently needed given the devastating nature of this disease. Recent studies have revealed the unique cellular physiology of GBM cells as compared with healthy astrocytes.

Quantitative Assessment of Proliferative Effects of Oral Vanadium on Pancreatic Islet Volumes and Beta Cell Numbers of Diabetic Rats.

Background: Oral vanadyl sulfate (vanadium) induces normoglycemia, proliferates beta cells and prevents pancreatic islet atrophy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Soteriological method is used to quantitate the proliferative effects of vanadium on beta-cell numbers and islet volumes of normal and diabetic rats.

Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were made diabetic with intravenous streptozotocin injection (40 mg/kg).

Trophic actions of oral vanadium and improved glycemia on the pancreatic beta-cell ultrastructure of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Context: Oral vanadyl sulfate (vanadium) has potent hypoglycemic effects in diabetes animals, but data about its actions on pancreatic beta-cells (BC) ultrastructure is limited.

Objective: Partial diabetic rats were treated with vanadium and insulin injection and their effects on BC ultrastructure are studied.

Methods: Male rats were made diabetic with intravenous streptozotocin injection (STZ, 40 mg/kg).

Does the relief of glucose toxicity act as a mediator in proliferative actions of vanadium on pancreatic islet beta cells in streptozocin diabetic rats?

Background: Data shows vanadium protects pancreatic beta cells (BC) from diabetic animals. Whether this effect is direct or through the relief of glucose toxicity is not clear. This study evaluated the potential effect of oral vanadyl sulfate (vanadium) on glycemic status and pancreatic BC of normal and diabetic rats.

Characterizing endothelial cells derived from the murine embryonic stem cell line CCE.

Embryonic stem cells (ESC) are defined by two main properties of self-renewal and their multipotency to differentiate into virtually all cell types of the body, including endothelial cells. ESCs have been widely regarded as an unlimited source of cells in regeneration medicine and also an ideal in vitro model to investigate complex developmental processes. Here, we report a simple and efficient in vitro model to derive a nearly pure population of endothelial cells from a murine ESC line.