Effect of miR-206 Derived from Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs) on CD8 Expression in Gastric Cancer

The BMSCs are one of the components of tumor micro-environment and participate in tumor evolution. Our study aimed to discuss the effect of exosome derived from BMSC on gastric cancer cells. Tumor and para-tumor tissues were isolated to measure miR-206 level by RT-PCR. Gastric cancer cell behaviors were analyzed using MTT assay and scratch test. Gastric cancer model was established and treated TIGIT inhibitor to assess its role in the tumor growth in vivo. The miR-206 in exosome from BMSCs in cancer tissue was detected. CD8 expression excreted by DC could be induced after miR-206 treatment possibly through regulating the signaling pathway of TIGIT/PVR. Inhibition of TIGIT decreased tumor growth, development and reversed tumor phenotype. In conclusion, miR-206 derived from BMSCs induces CD8 expression in gastric cancer through regulating the signaling pathway of TIGIT/PVR, indicating that it might be a novel target for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Potentials of CCL21 and CBS as therapeutic approaches for breast cancer

Objective: The present research set out to ascertain the roles of CCL21 and CBS in breast cancer (BC) cell biological behaviors and the relationship of CCL21 and CBS expression with the clinicopathological features of patients with BC. Methods: Immunohistochemistry of CCL21 or CBS was performed in 18 intraductal cancer tissues, 124 invasive BC tissues, 50 paraneoplastic tissues, 50 lobular hyperplasia tissues, and 30 normal breast tissues. For cell experiments, two human BC cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and a human breast epithelial cell line (MCF-10A) were utilized to detect the expression of CCL21 and CBS. After loss- and gain-of-function assays for CCL21 or CBS, the expression of CBS and CCL21 was measured by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Additionally, BC cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay and EdU staining, and BC cell migration was determined by scratch test and Transwell assay. Results: In the clinical data, the positive rate of CCL21 or CBS was significantly higher in invasive BC tissues than in intraductal BC tissues, lobular hyperplasia tissues, paraneoplastic tissues, and normal breast tissues (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CBS or CCL21 expression shared close association with the clinicopathological characteristic and the poor prognosis of BC patients. In cell experiments, overexpression of CCL21 or CBS enhanced the proliferative and migratory abilities of BC cells. Conclusion: CCL21 and CBS promoted BC cell migration and proliferation. CCL21 or CBS expression was strongly related to the poor prognosis of BC patients.

Comparative Evaluation of Fibrin Gel and Platelet-Rich Fibrin on Stem Cells of the Apical Papilla Fate Using a Dentin-Based Model

Background: PRF as one of the favorable scaffolds in Regenerative Endodontic Treatment (RET), has several limitations such as the need for blood sampling and special equipment. High available commercial scaffolds such as fibrin are able to meet all the necessary requirements of dentin tissue engineering. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of PRF and fibrin gel, with and without the presence of EDTA-treated radicular dentin segments on SCAP viability, proliferation, migration, and differentiation.Methods: Radicular dentin were prepared from extracted teeth and treated by EDTA 17% .The samples were divided into 6 groups: Dentin/PRF/Cell, Dentin/Fibrin/Cell, Dentin/Cell, PRF/Cell, Fibrin/Cell and Cell (Control). SCAP viability was assessed using MTT assay. Gene expression levels of odontogenic markers [Dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), Dentin matrix protein 1(DMP1), Collagen type I Alpha 1(COL 1A1) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were assessed using qrt-PCR. Cell migration were also evaluated by means of scratch test. Results: The results of MTT assay at showed that the viability of SCAP significantly increased after 7 days for both groups containing fibrin (P <0.05). The viability of SCAP seeded on Dentin/PRF and PRF significantly decreased after 7 days (P <0.001). The odontogenic markers were significantly expressed for both scaffolds in the presence of dentin segment (p<0.05). Significant decrease in scratch area was seen in Fibrin/Dentin group (p < 0.001)Conclusions:Fibrin beside EDTA-treated dentin showed great ability in survival, proliferation, differentiation, and migration of SCAP rather than PRF.

Effect of Coating Bath Parameters on Properties of Electroless Nickel-Boron Alloy Coatings

Electroless nickel-boron binary coatings were obtained with various bath compositions to investigate the effect of bath parameters on tribological and mechanical behaviours of the coating. Characterisation of the coating for surface morphology and phase structure is done using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD), respectively, whereas tribological behaviour of coatings is evaluated on a pin-on-disc tribo-tester. Elastic modulus and surface hardness of coatings have been obtained using nano-indentation technique, while the scratch behaviour of the coatings has been determined using micro-scratch test. Corrosion resistance of coatings is also determined. It is observed that surface roughness of the coatings increased with increase in sodium borohydride concentration but decreased slightly with increase in nickel chloride concentration. Friction and wear characteristics are found to increase with surface roughness which occurs due to increased boron content. Surface hardness and scratch hardness are also seen to vary with coating bath parameters.

Deep learning-based automated characterization of crosscut tests for coatings via image segmentation

A manual scratch test to measure the scratch resistance of coatings applied to a certain substrate is usually used to test the adhesion of a coating. Despite its significant amount of subjectivity, the crosscut test is widely considered to be the most practical measuring method for adhesion strength with a good reliability. Intelligent software tools help to improve and optimize systems combining chemistry, engineering based on high-throughput formulation screening (HTFS) technologies and machine learning algorithms to open up novel solutions in material sciences. Nevertheless, automated testing often misses the link to quality control by the human eye that is sensitive in spotting and evaluating defects as it is the case in the crosscut test. In this paper, we present a method for the automated and objective characterization of coatings to drive and support Chemistry 4.0 solutions via semantic image segmentation using deep convolutional networks. The algorithm evaluated the adhesion strength based on the images of the crosscuts recognizing the delaminated area and the results were compared with the traditional classification rated by the human expert.

Micromechanics of Drilling: A Laboratory Investigation of Formation Evaluation at the Bit

Challenging drilling applications and low oil prices have created a new emphasis on innovation in the industry. This research investigates the value of drill bit based force sensing at the rock-cutter interface. For this purpose, a laboratory-based mini-rig has been built in order to recreate a scaled drilling process. The work aims to build a better understanding of the collected force and torque data despite the semi-continuous drilling process. This data is then used to estimate the formation strength. A scaled drill bit with two cutters was designed with sensors integrated into the drill bit cutter, drill string and the mini-rig structure. The mini-rig design allowed the accurate control of depth of cut by utilizing a comprehensive data acquisition and control system during the experiments. Initially, fifty-five samples were prepared with various water/gypsum ratios for a uniaxial compression test, scratch test, and for testing in the mini-rig. Prior to the mini-rig experiments, the results of the uniaxial compression and scratch tests were used as a benchmark to extract rock properties and the state of stress behavior. The experiments under atmospheric conditions revealed that the mini-rig could accurately estimate formation strength from a few rotations. The force data at the bit-rock interface was correlated with the torque measurements, and the results indicate that the tangential force has similar trends and relatively similar values. The groove created by the drill bit's rotating trajectory has a 14.45 cm circumference. This allows for a significant amount of data to be captured from a single rotation. The circular cutter geometry's influence is crucial for a continuous process since the active cutting area is continuously changing due to the pre-cut groove. The performed depth of cuts ranged from 0.1 to 1 mm in the same groove, and thus the active cutting area can be accurately calculated in real-time while conducting the experiments. Tangential and normal force data from the scratch test was analyzed in order to provide insights for correlation with the mini-rig data. The analysis shows that both tests give similar trends to the force measurements from the mini-rig. Moreover, the benchmark value of formation strength that was obtained from the uniaxial compression test was also in the same range. This illustrates the potential viability of drill bit based formation strength measurement due to the similarity between mini-rig test results and those using more classical testing practices. The experimental setup can provide a continuous cutting process that allows an accurate estimation of formation strength during a semi-continuous drilling operation with analogous application in the field. This can lead to an in-depth understanding of drilled formation properties while drilling and possibly assist in evaluating cutter wear state in-situ.

Modification of Surface Structure by Diffusion Processes

In the paper an effect of a diffusion technology such as gaseous ferritic nitrocarburizing on the surface properties of selected alloyed case-hardening steel was tested. The steel 18CrNiMo7-6, primarily predetermined for carburizing and frequently utilized in manufacturing of highly strained components, where high core tensile strength as well as hard surface is demanded, was exposed to gaseous ferritic nitrocarburizing. Such treated surface was subjected to experimental methods. The microstructure observation and the determination of the white layer thickness was performed on the Opto-digital microscope Olympus DSX500i. The nitriding hardness depth of the surface layer from the microhardness profiles obtained by the microhardness tester LM247 AT LECO was deduced. The wear resistance was assessed by utilizing the Scratch test method performed on the tribometer Bruker UMT-3 TriboLab. Results of the measurements present an effect of gaseous ferritic nitrocarburizing on the surface properties of the steel 18CrNiMo7-6 and provide a perception of possibility to substitute the frequently utilized carburizing by the gaseous ferritic nitrocarburizing.

Pyridazinone Derivatives Limit Osteosarcoma-Cells Growth In Vitro and In Vivo

Osteosarcoma is a rare primary bone cancer that mostly affects children and young adults. Current therapeutic approaches consist of combining surgery and chemotherapy but remain unfortunately insufficient to avoid relapse and metastases. Progress in terms of patient survival has remained the same for 30 years. In this study, novel pyridazinone derivatives have been evaluated as potential anti-osteosarcoma therapeutics because of their anti-type 4 phosphodiesterase activity, which modulates the survival of several other cancer cells. By using five—four human and one murine osteosarcoma—cell lines, we demonstrated differential cytotoxic effects of four pyridazinone scaffold-based compounds (mitochondrial activity and DNA quantification). Proapoptotic (annexin V positive cells and caspase-3 activity), anti-proliferative (EdU integration) and anti-migratory effects (scratch test assay) were also observed. Owing to their cytotoxic activity in in vitro conditions and their ability to limit tumor growth in a murine orthotopic osteosarcoma model, our data suggest that these pyridazinone derivatives might be hit-candidates to develop new therapeutic strategies against osteosarcoma.

Epiphycan Predicts Poor Outcomes and Promotes Metastasis in Ovarian Cancer

The small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) family is widely expressed in extracellular matrix and aggravates tumor progression. However, epiphycan (EPYC), as a member of the SLRPs family, its biological function in cancer has not been confirmed. Thus, we aimed to clarify the role of EPYC in progression of ovarian cancer (OC), and further analyze the molecular mechanisms implicated in tumorigenesis. Here, we analyzed the differential expression genes of GSE38734, including 4 matched primary OC and metastatic tissues. We obtained OC RNAseqs data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and analyzed the correlation between EPYC expression and OC staging, pathological grading, etc. The expression of EPYC in OC and normal ovarian tissues was compared in Oncomine website. We used siRNAs to interfere the expression of EPYC in ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3. Scratch test, transwell-matrigel chamber, CCK8 assay were used to detect the changes of SKOV3 migration, invasion and proliferation ability after EPYC was interfered. We used R software to make GO and KEGG analysis of related genes of EPYC. We used the Hitpredict website to predict interacting proteins. The results showed that the expression of EPYC in metastatic ovarian cancer was higher than primary ovarian cancer, and that in primary cancer was higher than normal ovaries. After siRNA interferes with EPYC expression, the migration, invasion and proliferation of SKOV3 cells were weakened. EPYC mainly played a role in ECM organization, and involved in PI3K/Akt, focal adhesion signaling pathways. EPYC might interact with PLCG2 and CRK, and be involved in signal transduction.