Different contractility modes control cell escape from multicellular spheroids and tumor explants.

Cells can adapt their active contractile properties to switch between dynamical migratory states and static homeostasis. Collective tissue surface tension, generated among others by the cortical contractility of single cells, can keep cell clusters compact, while a more bipolar, anisotropic contractility is predominantly used by mesenchymal cells to pull themselves into the extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we investigate how these two contractility modes relate to cancer cell escape into the ECM.

Anatomy of the fetal membranes: insights from spinning disk confocal microscopy.

Purpose: The fetal membranes are essential for the maintenance of pregnancy, and their integrity until parturition is critical for both fetal and maternal health. Preterm premature rupture of the membranes (pPROM) is known to be an indicator of preterm birth, but the underlying architectural and mechanical changes that lead to fetal membrane failure are not yet fully understood. The aim of this study was to gain new insights into the anatomy of the fetal membrane and to establish a tissue processing and staining protocol suitable for future prospective cohort studies.

Thiopurines with low-dose allopurinol (ThiLDA)-a prospective clinical one-way crossover trial.

Purpose: Many patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) who have a high 6-methylmercaptopurine/6-thioguanine (6-MMP/6-TGN) ratio receive allopurinol 100 mg in addition to thiopurines to optimize metabolite concentrations. However, some patients do not tolerate allopurinol at this dosage. The aim of this study was to determine the intra-patient effect of reducing the allopurinol dosage from 100 to 50 mg, in terms of metabolite concentrations, enzyme activities, efficacy, and tolerability.