Thyroid thermogenesis in adult rat hepatocytes in primary monolayer culture: direct action of thyroid hormone in vitro.

We have studied the effect of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) on the respiration of adult rat hepatocytes in primary monolayer culture prepared from hypothyroid rat liver. After addition of T3 to the culture medium at a concentration of 2 x 10(-7) M, oxygen consumption of the cultured cells increased detectably at 24 h and was maximal at 72--96 h, relative to control cultures (38.0 +/- 1.8 vs. 25.0 +/- 1.5 microliter/h.mg protein). The thyroid-responsive enzymes, Na+ + K+-activated adenosine triphosphatase (NaK-ATPase) and alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (GPD), each exhibited increased activity in response to T3, in parallel with the change in oxygen consumption, whereas the activity of Mg-dependent ATPase was unaffected. These responses to T3 were dose dependent over similar concentration ranges, the half-maximal response for each occurring at ca 8 x 10(-10) M. In thyroid-treated cells, the observed increase in respiration was almost completely (90%) inhibited after addition of ouabain (10(-3) M) to the culture medium. It was found also that a 4-h exposure of the cultured hepatocytes to T3 was sufficient to elicit a significant thermogenic response, measured at a time (48 h later) when T3 was no longer present in the medium. The response to T3 occurred in fully defined culture medium and was independent of the presence or absence of hypothyroid rat serum, corticosterone, or insulin, and cellular ATP was unaffected by T3 in concentrations up to 2 x 10(-7) M. The findings document that adult rat hepatocytes in primary monolayer culture respond directly to thyroid hormone; the increases in respiration and NaK-ATPase activity elicited by T3 were cotemporal and apparently coordinate

ESBMC-GPU A context-bounded model checking tool to verify CUDA programs

The Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) is a programming model used for exploring the advantages of graphics processing unit (GPU) devices, through parallelization and specialized functions and features. Nonetheless, as in other development platforms, errors may occur, due to traditional software creation processes, which may even compromise the execution of an entire system. In order to address such a problem, ESBMC-GPU was developed, as an extension to the Efficient SMT-Based Context-Bounded Model Checker (ESBMC). In summary, ESBMC processes input code through ESBMC-GPU and an abstract representation of the standard CUDA libraries, with the goal of checking a set of desired properties. Experimental results showed that ESBMC-GPU was able to correctly verify 85% of the chosen benchmarks and it also overcame other existing GPU verifiers regarding the verification of data-race conditions, array out-of-bounds violations, assertive statements, pointer safety, and the use of specific CUDA features

Pharmacological development of target-specific delocalized lipophilic cation-functionalized carboranes for cancer therapy

PURPOSE: Tumor cell heterogeneity and microenvironment represent major hindering factors in the clinical setting toward achieving the desired selectivity and specificity to malignant tissues for molecularly targeted cancer therapeutics. In this study, the cellular and molecular evaluation of several delocalized lipophilic cation (DLC)-functionalized carborane compounds as innovative anticancer agents is presented. METHODS: The anticancer potential assessment of the DLC-carboranes was performed in established normal (MRC-5, Vero), cancer (U-87 MG, HSC-3) and primary glioblastoma cancer stem (EGFRpos, EGFRneg) cultures. Moreover, the molecular mechanism of action underlying their pharmacological response is also analyzed. RESULTS: The pharmacological anticancer profile of DLC-functionalized carboranes is characterized by: a) a marked in vitro selectivity, due to lower concentration range needed (ca. 10 fold) to exert their cell growth-arrest effect on U-87 MG and HSC-3, as compared with that on MRC-5 and Vero; b) a similar selective growth inhibition behavior towards EGFRpos and EGFRneg cultures (>10 fold difference in potency) without, however, the activation of apoptosis in cultures; c) notably, in marked contrast to cancer cells, normal cells are capable of recapitulating their full proliferation potential following exposure to DLC-carboranes; and, d) such pharmacological effects of DLC-carboranes has been unveiled to be elicited at the molecular level through activation of the p53/p21 axis. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the data presented in this work indicates the potential of the DLC-functionalized carboranes to act as new selective anticancer therapeutics that may be used autonomously or in therapies involving radiation with thermal neutrons. Importantly, such bifunctional capacity may be beneficial in cancer therapy

¹H NMR metabolomics insights into comparative diabesity in male and female zebrafish and the antidiabetic activity of DL-limonene

Zebrafish have been utilized for many years as a model animal for pharmacological studies on diabetes and obesity. High-fat diet (HFD), streptozotocin and alloxan injection, and glucose immersion have all been used to induce diabetes and obesity in zebrafish. Currently, studies commonly used both male and female zebrafish, which may influence the outcomes since male and female zebrafish are biologically different. This study was designed to investigate the difference between the metabolites of male and female diabetic zebrafish, using limonene – a natural product which has shown several promising results in vitro and in vivo in treating diabetes and obesity—and provide new insights into how endogenous metabolites change following limonene treatment. Using HFD-fed male and female zebrafish, we were able to develop an animal model of T2D and identify several endogenous metabolites that might be used as diagnostic biomarkers for diabetes. The endogenous metabolites in males and females were different, even though both genders had high blood glucose levels and a high BMI. Treatment with limonene prevented high blood glucose levels and improved in diabesity zebrafish by limonene, through reversal of the metabolic changes caused by HFD in both genders. In addition, limonene was able to reverse the elevated expression of AKT during HFD

PENGGUNAAN MODEL ASSURE UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KETERAMPILAN MENULIS PUISI

Abstract: The purpose of the research is to improve the poetry writing skill by using ASSURE model. The type of this research was Classroom Action Research (CAR). The research was carried out in two cycles. Each cycle consisted of four steps, there are planning, acting, observing and reflecting. This research used documentation, observation, interview, and test as the technique of collecting data. The data validity used source and technic triangulation. The technique of analysis data was the interactive analysis model (Miles & Huberman) which consist of three components, there are data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion (verification). The result of this research is the using of ASSURE can improve the poetry writing skill.Abstrak : Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk meningkatkan keterampilan menulis puisi melalui penggunaan model ASSURE. Bentuk penelitian ini adalah Penelitian Tindakan Kelas sebanyak dua siklus. Tiap siklus terdiri dari 4 tahapan yaitu perencanaan, pelaksanaan tindakan, observasi, dan refleksi. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakanadalah dokumentasi,observasi, wawancara, dan tes. Teknik analasis data yang digunakan adalah model analisis interaktif (Miles&Huberman) yang terdiri dari tiga komponen yaitu reduksi data, sajian data, dan penarikan kesimpulan (verivikasi). Kesimpulan penelitian ini adalah melalui penggunaan model ASSURE dapat meningkatkan keterampilan menulis puisiKata kunci: ASSURE, Keterampilan Menulis, Puis

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability

Immunoregulatory effects of AFP domains on monocyte-derived dendritic cell function

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a tumor-associated glycoprotein that functions in regulation of both ontogenic and oncogenic growth. Recent study showed that AFP can induce apoptosis or impair monocyte-derived dendritic cell (MDDC) function. However, it is still unclear which AFP domain (D-AFP) plays major role in this function.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>As expected monocytes cultured in the presence of Granulocyte Macrophage-Colony Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) and Interleukin-4 (IL-4) developed into MDDC. Up-regulation of HLA-DR and CD11c as well as loss of CD14 molecules could be observed. Full length AFP (FL-AFP), domain 2 AFP (D2-AFP) and D3-AFP, but not D1-AFP, significantly inhibited the expression of HLA-DR^high/CD11c^highand CD80⁺/CD86^highmolecules. In contrast, CD83 expression was substantially down-regulated in all samples. Expression of CD40 was significantly suppressed by FL-AFP but not by any D-AFPs. Finally, both FL-AFP and D-AFP impaired the MDDC ability to secrete IL-12 (p70).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>D2- and D3- but not D1-AFP extensively suppresses the MDDC function. All the recombinant AFP proteins impaired the ability of MDDC to secrete IL-12.</p