PAK1-dependent mechanotransduction enables myofibroblast nuclear adaptation and chromatin organization during fibrosis.

Myofibroblasts are responsible for scarring during fibrosis. The scar propagates mechanical signals inducing a radical transformation in myofibroblast cell state and increasing profibrotic phenotype. Here, we show mechanical stress from progressive scarring induces nuclear softening and de-repression of heterochromatin.

Substrate for the Myocardial Inflammation-Heart Failure Hypothesis Identified Using Novel USPIO Methodology.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify where ultrasmall superparamagnetic particles of iron oxide (USPIO) locate to in myocardium, develop a methodology that differentiates active macrophage uptake of USPIO from passive tissue distribution; and investigate myocardial inflammation in cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Myocardial inflammation is hypothesized to be a key pathophysiological mechanism of heart failure (HF), but human evidence is limited, partly because evaluation is challenging. USPIO-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) potentially allows specific identification of myocardial inflammation but it remains unclear what the USPIO-MRI signal represents.

SOX9 predicts progression toward cirrhosis in patients while its loss protects against liver fibrosis.

Fibrosis and organ failure is a common endpoint for many chronic liver diseases. Much is known about the upstream inflammatory mechanisms provoking fibrosis and downstream potential for tissue remodeling. However, less is known about the transcriptional regulation governing fibrotic matrix deposition by liver myofibroblasts.

Antitumor effects of aminobisphosphonates on renal cell carcinoma cell lines.

Purpose: Bisphosphonates are established as a supportive therapy for a number of malignancies that metastasize to bone. Previous reports have also suggested potent antitumor and anti-angiogenic properties. We investigated the in vitro activity of the 2 aminobisphosphonates pamidronate (Faulding Pharmaceuticals, Paramus, New Jersey) and zoledronic acid (Novartis, Basel, Switzerland) on the growth and survival of the 3 renal cell carcinoma cell lines Caki-2, 769-P (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Virginia) and D69581.

The biological effects of syngeneic and allogeneic cytokine-expressing prophylactic whole cell vaccines and the influence of irradiation in a murine melanoma model.

Allogeneic whole tumour cell vaccines are inherently practical compared with autologous vaccines. Cell lines are derived from allogeneic tumour, grown in bulk and then administered as a vaccine to the patient, following irradiation, which not only prevents any replication but also enhances antigen presentation. Protection is believed to occur through the presentation of antigens shared between the syngeneic and allogeneic tumours.

Differential expression of melanoma-associated antigens and molecules involved in antigen processing and presentation in three cell lines established from a single patient.

Tumour cells are able to evade the immune system by using several 'escape mechanisms'. Downregulation of molecules involved in the processing and presentation of self-antigens has been reported. However, these adaptations have not been compared in metastases in different anatomical locations but derived from a single patient.

Heated tumour cells of autologous and allogeneic origin elicit anti-tumour immunity.

Vaccination with established tumour cell lines may circumvent the problem of obtaining autologous tumour cells from patients, but may also need immunological adjuvants. Up-regulation of heat shock proteins within tumour cell vaccines has resulted in increased immunogenicity in some models, but this has yet to be demonstrated for allogeneic (MHC-disparate) cell vaccines. This was investigated here using a rat model for prostate tumour cell vaccination.