The double homeodomain protein DUX4c is associated with regenerating muscle fibers and RNA-binding proteins.

Background: We have previously demonstrated that double homeobox 4 centromeric (DUX4C) encoded for a functional DUX4c protein upregulated in dystrophic skeletal muscles. Based on gain- and loss-of-function studies we have proposed DUX4c involvement in muscle regeneration. Here, we provide further evidence for such a role in skeletal muscles from patients affected with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).

Morphological study of the integument and corporal skeletal muscles of two psammophilous members of Scincidae (Scincus scincus and Eumeces schneideri).

Sand deserts are common biotopes on the earth's surface. Numerous morphological and physiological adaptations have appeared to cope with the peculiar conditions imposed by sandy substrates, such as abrasion, mechanical resistance and the potential low oxygen levels. The psammophilous scincids (Lepidosauria) Scincus scincus and Eumeces schneideri are among those.

Cytological analysis of integumentary and muscular adaptations in three sand-dwelling marine teleosts, Ammodytes tobianus (Ammodytidae), Gorgasia preclara (Congridae) and Heteroconger hassi (Congridae) (Teleostei; Actinopterygii).

Sandy bottoms are a ubiquitous environment found from sea bottoms to intertidal and freshwater zones. They are inhabited by many invertebrates and vertebrates which have developed morphological and physiological adaptations to sustain life under these particular conditions. Sandy habitats exhibit three potential constraints: abrasion, hypoxia and mechanical resistance.

Development of an LDL Receptor-Targeted Peptide Susceptible to Facilitate the Brain Access of Diagnostic or Therapeutic Agents.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) crossing and brain penetration are really challenging for the delivery of therapeutic agents and imaging probes. The development of new crossing strategies is needed, and a wide range of approaches (invasive or not) have been proposed so far. The receptor-mediated transcytosis is an attractive mechanism, allowing the non-invasive penetration of the BBB.

Farnesoid X receptor as marker of osteotropism of breast cancers through its role in the osteomimetism of tumor cells.

Background: The skeleton is the first and most common distant metastatic site for breast cancer. Such metastases complicate cancer management, inducing considerable morbidities and decreasing patient survival. Osteomimetism is part of the complex process of osteotropism of breast cancer cells.

Asteraceae Paradox: Chemical and Mechanical Protection of Pollen.

Excessive pollen harvesting by bees can compromise the reproductive success of plants. Plants have therefore evolved different morphological structures and floral cues to narrow the spectrum of pollen feeding visitors. Among "filtering" mechanisms, the chemical and mechanical protection of pollen might shape bee-flower interactions and restrict pollen exploitation to a specific suite of visitors such as observed in Asteraceae.

Comparative study of the visual system of two psammophilic lizards (Scincus scincus &Eumeces schneideri).

Sand deserts are common biotopes on the earth's surface. Some specialized vertebrate species have colonized these ecological habitats by living buried in the sand. Among these so called psammophilic species are the Scincidae sand dune living species Scincus scincus and Eumeces schneideri.

Molecular Imaging of Galectin-1 Expression as a Biomarker of Papillary Thyroid Cancer by Using Peptide-Functionalized Imaging Probes.

Thyroid cancers are the most frequent endocrine cancers and their incidence is increasing worldwide. Thyroid nodules occur in over 19-68% of the population, but only 7-15% of them are diagnosed as malignant. Diagnosis relies on a fine needle aspiration biopsy, which is often inconclusive and about 90% of thyroidectomies are performed for benign lesions.

Modulation of adiponectin receptors AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 by phage display-derived peptides in and models.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is often linked to metabolic syndrome, which assembles various risk factors related to obesity. Plasma levels of adiponectin are decreased in T2D and obese subjects. Aiming to develop a peptide able to bind adiponectin receptors and modulate their signalling pathways, a 12-amino acid sequence homologous in AdipoR1/R2 has been targeted by phage display with a linear 12-mer peptide library.

Hepatic and Renal Toxicity Induced by TiO Nanoparticles in Rats: A Morphological and Metabonomic Study.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) nanoparticles (NPs) are produced abundantly and are frequently used as a white pigment in the manufacture of paints, foods, paper, and toothpaste. Despite the wide ranges of uses, there is a lack of information on the impact of NPs on animal and human health. In the present study, rats were exposed to different doses of TiO nanoparticles and sacrificed, respectively, 4 days, 1 month, and 2 months after treatment.

Morphological alterations induced by the exposure to TiO nanoparticles in primary cortical neuron cultures and in the brain of rats.

Nowadays, nanoparticles (NPs) of titanium dioxide (TiO) are abundantly produced. TiO NPs are present in various food products, in paints, cosmetics, sunscreens and toothpastes. However, the toxicity of TiO NPs on the central nervous system has been poorly investigated until now.

Validation by Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Diagnostic Potential of a Heptapeptide-Functionalized Imaging Probe Targeted to Amyloid-β and Able to Cross the Blood-Brain Barrier.

The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a critical step in the management of patients. We have developed a non-invasive diagnosis tool based on magnetic resonance molecular imaging (MRMI) of amyloid-β peptide using ultra-small particles of iron oxide (USPIO) functionalized with a disulfide constrained cyclic heptapeptide (PHO) identified by phage display (USPIO-PHO). After previously demonstrating the optimal pharmacologic properties of USPIO-PHO and its capacity to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the ability of USPIO-PHO to target amyloid plaques (AP) by MRMI has been validated in the present work on AD transgenic mice.

Intratracheal Bleomycin Aerosolization: The Best Route of Administration for a Scalable and Homogeneous Pulmonary Fibrosis Rat Model?

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic disease with a poor prognosis and is characterized by the accumulation of fibrotic tissue in lungs resulting from a dysfunction in the healing process. In humans, the pathological process is patchy and temporally heterogeneous and the exact mechanisms remain poorly understood. Different animal models were thus developed.

In vitro and in vivo characterization of several functionalized ultrasmall particles of iron oxide, vectorized against amyloid plaques and potentially able to cross the blood-brain barrier: toward earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease by molecular imaging.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder most often diagnosed 10 years after its onset and development. It is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-β peptide (ABP) into amyloid plaques between nerve cells, which produces a massive local neurodegeneration. Molecular magnetic resonance imaging allows diagnosis of AD by showing ABP accumulation in the brain.

Protection of Wistar-Furth rats against postischaemic acute renal injury: role for nitric oxide and thromboxane?

The Wistar-Furth (WF) rat strain is usually used in models of full major histocompatibility complex-mismatched kidney transplantation. Because these rats have been demonstrated to be resistant to several models of chronic kidney disease, the aim of the present study was to investigate their potential resistance to renal ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury compared with another strain, namely Wistar-Hanover (WH) rats. Anaesthetized male WH and WF rats were submitted to I/R by occlusion of the left renal artery and contralateral nephrectomy.

Morphology and fibre-type distribution in the tongue of the Pogona vitticeps lizard (Iguania, Agamidae).

Agamid lizards use tongue prehension for capturing all types of prey. The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional relationship between tongue structure, both surface and musculature, and function during prey capture in Pogona vitticeps. The lack of a detailed description of the distribution of fibre-types in the tongue muscles in some iguanian lizards has hindered the understanding of the functional morphology of the lizard tongue.

Involvement of CD74 in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Purpose: While macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has been extensively studied in the context of inflammation and inflammatory disorders, less work has been devoted to its involvement in cancer, notably in neoplastic progression. In a previous study, we have found evidence that MIF plays a role in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). The current investigations were undertaken in order to estimate the importance of the MIF receptor, CD74 in the progression of HNSCC.

Inhibition of hyaluronan is protective against renal ischaemia-reperfusion injury.

Background: Ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) to the kidney is a complex pathophysiological process that leads to acute renal failure and chronic dysfunction in renal allografts. It was previously demonstrated that during IRI, hyaluronan (HA) accumulates in the cortical and external medullary interstitium along with an increased expression of its main receptor, CD44, on inflammatory and tubular cells. The HA-CD44 pair may be involved in persistent post-ischaemic inflammation.

Pharmacological inhibition of macrophage migration inhibitory factor interferes with the proliferation and invasiveness of squamous carcinoma cells.

Recent clinical observations and experimental studies of our group indicate that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) may contribute to tumor progression in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of the irreversible MIF inhibitor 4-iodo-6-phenylpyrimidine (4-IPP) on proliferation and invasiveness of the squamous carcinoma cell line SCCVII. Cell counting, crystal violet assay and flow cytometry were used to analyze the effects of 4-IPP on SCCVII cell growth.

TYRP1 mRNA expression in melanoma metastases correlates with clinical outcome.

Background: Clinical outcome of patients with high-risk melanoma cannot be reliably predicted on the basis of classical histopathological examination. Our study aimed to determine in melanoma metastases a gene expression profile associated with patient survival, and to identify and validate marker(s) of poor clinical outcome.

Methods: Skin and lymph node metastases from melanoma patients (training population) were used to identify candidate prognostic marker(s) based on DNA microarray analysis.

Monoclonal antibody to CD31 (PECAM-1) inhibits tubular regeneration after ischemia reperfusion injury in the rat.

Aims: We used a rat model of renal ischemia (35 min) to test the potential involvement of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1/CD31) in the process of S3 tubule regeneration.

Methods: A monoclonal antibody specific for murine PECAM-1 was injected i.p.

Immunohistochemical localization of galectins-1 and -3 and monitoring of tissue galectin-binding sites during tubular regeneration after renal ischemia reperfusion in the rat.

Endogenous lectins act as effectors of cellular activities such as growth regulation, migration and adhesion. In this study, we report the histochemical detection of galectins and their binding sites in rat kidneys after ischemic injury (35 min) with regard to renal regeneration. In this context, we have shown in a previous publication (Vansthertem et al.

Expression of nestin, vimentin, and NCAM by renal interstitial cells after ischemic tubular injury.

This work explores the distribution of various markers expressed by interstitial cells in rat kidneys after ischemic injury (35 minutes) during regeneration of S3 tubules of outer stripe of outer medulla (OSOM). Groups of experimental animals (n = 4) were sacrificed every two hours during the first 24 hours post-ischemia as well as 2, 3, 7, 14 days post-ischemia. The occurrence of lineage markers was analyzed on kidney sections by immunohistochemistry and morphometry during the process of tubular regeneration.