Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) are electric fields clinically approved for cancer treatment, delivered via arrays attached to the patient's skin. Here, we present a protocol for applying TTFields to torso orthotopic and subcutaneous mouse tumor models using the inovivo system. We guide users on proper system component connections, study protocol design, mouse fur depilation, array application, and treatment condition adjustment and monitoring.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe authors wish to make minor corrections to Figure 1 and Figure 2 of the following paper [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a highly aggressive liver cancer, is a leading cause of cancer-related death. Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) are electric fields that exert antimitotic effects on cancerous cells. The aims of the current research were to test the efficacy of TTFields in HCC, explore the underlying mechanisms, and investigate the possible combination of TTFields with sorafenib, one of the few front-line treatments for patients with advanced HCC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall caliber synthetic vascular grafts used for dialysis access sites have high failure rates due to neointima formation and thrombosis. Seeding synthetic grafts with endothelial cells (ECs) provides a biocompatible surface that may prevent graft failure. We tested the use of ePTFE grafts seeded with autologous ECs expressing fibulin-5 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), as a dialysis access site in a porcine model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Cosmet Sci
February 2016
Objective: Keloid scar is pathological tissue that appears after skin injury, and that is more aggressive than hypertrophic scars. Keloid scars are characterized by increased proliferation of fibroblast-like cells (FLCs) and the accumulation of extracellular matrix, mainly collagen. Fibulin-5, a glycoprotein secreted by many cell types, is a component of the extracellular matrix.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMechanical forces play an important role in the initial stages of embryo development; yet, the influence of forces, particularly of tensile forces, on embryonic stem cell differentiation is still unknown. The effects of tensile forces on mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) differentiation within a three-dimensional (3D) environment were examined using an advanced bioreactor system. Uniaxial static or dynamic stretch was applied on cell-embedded collagen constructs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronary stenosis due to atherosclerosis, the primary cause of coronary artery disease, is generally treated by balloon dilatation and stent implantation, which can result in damage to the endothelial lining of blood vessels. This leads to the restenosis of the lumen as a consequence of migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Nitric oxide (NO), which is produced and secreted by vascular endothelial cells (ECs), is a central anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic player in the vasculature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The developing limb has served as an excellent model for studying pattern formation and signal transduction in mammalians. Many of the crucial genes that regulate growth and patterning of the limb following limb bud formation are now well known. However, details regarding the control of limb initiation and early stages of outgrowth remain to be defined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe pluripotent genome is characterized by unique epigenetic features and a decondensed chromatin conformation. However, the relationship between epigenetic regulation and pluripotency is not altogether clear. Here, using an enhanced MEF/ESC fusion protocol, we compared the reprogramming potency and histone modifications of different embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines (R1, J1, E14, C57BL/6) and found that E14 ESCs are significantly less potent, with significantly reduced H3K9ac levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe nuclear adaptor Ldb1 functions as a core component of multiprotein transcription complexes that regulate differentiation in diverse cell types. In the hematopoietic lineage, Ldb1 forms a complex with the non-DNA-binding adaptor Lmo2 and the transcription factors E2A, Scl and GATA-1 (or GATA-2). Here we demonstrate a critical and continuous requirement for Ldb1 in the maintenance of both fetal and adult mouse hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe unlimited proliferative and differentiative capacities of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are tightly regulated by their microenvironment. Local concentrations of soluble factors, cell-cell interactions and extracellular matrix signaling are just a few variables that influence ESC fate. A common method employed to induce ESC differentiation involves the formation of cell aggregates called embryoid bodies (EBs), which recapitulate early stages of embryonic development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVertebrate limb development is controlled by three signaling centers that regulate limb patterning and growth along the proximodistal (PD), anteroposterior (AP) and dorsoventral (DV) limb axes. Coordination of limb development along these three axes is achieved by interactions and feedback loops involving the secreted signaling molecules that mediate the activities of these signaling centers. However, it is unknown how these signaling interactions are processed in the responding cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOlfactomedin 1 (Olfm1) is a secreted glycoprotein belonging to a family of olfactomedin domain-containing proteins. It is involved in the regulation of neural crest production in chicken and promotes neuronal differentiation in Xenopus. Here, we investigate the functions of Olfm1 in zebrafish eye development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA dot-blot immunoassay for the detection of vitellogenin (Vtg) in plasma of adult grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) was developed. The assay identified the sex of the tested fish prior to detectable gonadal development, enabling the establishment of broodstock at the desired ratio of 7:4 females to males. This broodstock was maintained under natural photoperiod, and used to study the relative effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and dopamine antagonists on oocyte maturation and ovulation, as well as the effect of 17alpha-methyltestosterone (MT) on spermiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo characterize the involvement of the aromatase gene during the process of sex determination in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla), the expression of its gonadal form was determined during various developmental stages. The cloned cDNA from the European eel gonad (EeCYP19) contains an open reading frame of 1539 bp, encoding a deduced protein of 513 residues. The predicted amino acid sequence shows 97% identity with that of the Japanese eel, and 59-69% of identity with those of the CYP19 gonadal and brain forms of other teleost fish.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol
October 2003
The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a catadromic teleost species with a complex life cycle, both in sea and freshwater environments. The sex determination phase of gonadal development occurs in a freshwater environment. Polymorphism occurs in increasing rates with respect to gender.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, we examined the growth differences of males and females following a sex reversion, and the growth hormone (GH) expression variation between sexes of European eels [Anguilla anguilla (L.)]. A high percentage of females (88%) was found in the group fed with estradiol 17beta compared to the control group (comprised of only 6% female eels), which was defined as the male population.
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