Platelet lysate as a serum substitute for 2D static and 3D perfusion culture of stromal vascular fraction cells from human adipose tissue

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 are key supplements for the culture of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells from adipose tissue, both for typical monolayer (2D) expansion and for streamlined generation of osteogenic-vasculogenic grafts in 3D perfusion culture. The present study investigates whether factors present in human platelet lysate (PL) could substitute for FBS and FGF-2 in 2D and 3D culture models of SVF cells from human lipoaspirates. SVF cells were grown in medium supplemented with 10% FBS+FGF-2 or with 5% PL. In 2D cultures, PL initially supported SVF cell proliferation, but resulted in growth arrest shortly after the first passage. Freshly isolated SVF cells cultured with both media under perfusion for 5 days within 3D ceramic scaffolds induced bone formation after subcutaneous implantation in nude mice. However, blood vessels of donor origin were generated only using FBS+FGF-2-cultured cells. This was unexpected, because the proportion of CD34+/CD31+ endothelial lineage cells was significantly higher with PL than that of FBS+FGF-2 (33% vs. 3%, respectively). These results support the use of PL as a substitute of FBS+FGF-2 for short-term culture of human SVF cells, and indicate that more specific serum-free formulations are required to maintain a functionally vasculogenic fraction of SVF cells expanded under 3D perfusion

Search for a Solution of the Pioneer Anomaly

In 1972 and 1973 the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions were launched. They were the first to explore the outer solar system and achieved stunning breakthroughs in deep-space exploration. But beginning in about 1980 an unmodeled force of \sim 8 \times 10^{-8} cm/s^2, directed approximately towards the Sun, appeared in the tracking data. It later was unambiguously verified as being in the data and not an artifact. The cause remains unknown (although radiant heat remains a likely origin). With time more and more effort has gone into understanding this anomaly (and also possibly related effects). We review the situation and describe ongoing programs to resolve the issue.Comment: 24 pages 8 figure

Fibroma cemento-osificante gingival mandibular: presentación de un caso

Presentamos el caso clínico de una mujer con un fibroma cemento- osificante gigante dependiente de la encía mandibular de 20 años de evolución. El fibroma cemento-osificante es un tumor poco frecuente, clasificado dentro de las lesiones fibroóseas. Aparece generalmente en hueso y en raras ocasiones afecta a tejidos gingivales, como ocurre en nuestro caso. Es una neoplasia de crecimiento lento y bien delimitada, lo que le confiere un carácter benigno. Con los hallazgos histológicos es difícil diferenciar el fibroma cemento-osificante de otras lesiones tales como el osteoblastoma, el osteosarcoma de bajo grado y particularmente de la displasia fibrosa. Para obtener un diagnóstico preciso es fundamental guiarnos además por la información clínica y radiológica y así llevar a cabo un tratamiento oportuno, que condicione un pronóstico excelente.We report a case of a woman presenting a giant cementoossifying fibroma depending of the mandibular gingivae. The evolution of the process was 20 years. Cemento-ossifying fibroma is a relatively rare tumour classified between fibroosseous lesions. This lesion appears within the bone although in some occasions it involves the gingivae soft tissues, as the case we present. It is a slow-growing and well-defined tumorous lesion, because of this, it is considered as a benign lesion. The histologic findings alone may be similar to other pathologies such as osteoblastoma, low-grade osteosarcoma and particularly to fibrous dysplasia. An accurate diagnosis requires careful clinical, radiological and histological correlation in order to make an optimal treatment and an excellent outcome

Assessment of semantic memory with the SMT-42

International audienc

Apport du test de mémoire sémantique 42 items (TMS-42) en consultation mémoire

International audienc

Secular dynamics of planetesimals in tight binary systems: Application to Gamma-Cephei

The secular dynamics of small planetesimals in tight binary systems play a fundamental role in establishing the possibility of accretional collisions in such extreme cases. The most important secular parameters are the forced eccentricity and secular frequency, which depend on the initial conditions of the particles, as well as on the mass and orbital parameters of the secondary star. We construct a second-order theory (with respect to the masses) for the planar secular motion of small planetasimals and deduce new expressions for the forced eccentricity and secular frequency. We also reanalyze the radial velocity data available for Gamma-Cephei and present a series of orbital solutions leading to residuals compatible with the best fits. Finally, we discuss how different orbital configurations for Gamma-Cephei may affect the dynamics of small bodies in circunmstellar motion. For Gamma-Cephei, we find that the classical first-order expressions for the secular frequency and forced eccentricity lead to large inaccuracies around 50 % for semimajor axes larger than one tenth the orbital separation between the stellar components. Low eccentricities and/or masses reduce the importance of the second-order terms. The dynamics of small planetesimals only show a weak dependence with the orbital fits of the stellar components, and the same result is found including the effects of a nonlinear gas drag. Thus, the possibility of planetary formation in this binary system largely appears insensitive to the orbital fits adopted for the stellar components, and any future alterations in the system parameters (due to new observations) should not change this picture. Finally, we show that planetesimals migrating because of gas drag may be trapped in mean-motion resonances with the binary, even though the migration is divergent.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure

Some Secrets of Fluorescent Proteins: Distinct Bleaching in Various Mounting Fluids and Photoactivation of cyan fluorescent proteins at YFP-Excitation

Background
The use of spectrally distinct variants of green fluorescent protein (GFP) such as cyan or yellow mutants (CFP and YFP, respectively) is very common in all different fields of life sciences, e.g. for marking specific proteins or cells or to determine protein interactions. In the latter case, the quantum physical phenomenon of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is exploited by specific microscopy techniques to visualize proximity of proteins.

Methodology/Principal Findings
When we applied a commonly used FRET microscopy technique - the increase in donor (CFP)-fluorescence after bleaching of acceptor fluorophores (YFP), we obtained good signals in live cells, but very weak signals for the same samples after fixation and mounting in commercial microscopy mounting fluids. This observation could be traced back to much faster bleaching of CFP in these mounting media. Strikingly, the opposite effect of the mounting fluid was observed for YFP and also for other proteins such as Cerulean, TFP or Venus. The changes in photostability of CFP and YFP were not caused by the fixation but directly dependent on the mounting fluid. Furthermore we made the interesting observation that the CFP-fluorescence intensity increases by about 10 - 15% after illumination at the YFP-excitation wavelength – a phenomenon, which was also observed for Cerulean. This photoactivation of cyan fluorescent proteins at the YFP-excitation can cause false-positive signals in the FRET-microscopy technique that is based on bleaching of a yellow FRET acceptor.

Conclusions/Significance
Our results show that photostability of fluorescent proteins differs significantly for various media and that CFP bleaches significantly faster in commercial mounting fluids, while the opposite is observed for YFP and some other proteins. Moreover, we show that the FRET microscopy technique that is based on bleaching of the YFP is prone to artifacts due to photoactivation of cyan fluorescent proteins under these conditions

Continuous-mode 448 kHz capacitive resistive monopolar radiofrequency induces greater deep blood flow changes compared to pulsed mode shortwave: a crossover study in healthy adults

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Binoy Kumaran, Anthony Herbland and Tim Watson, ‘Continuous-mode 448 kHz capacitive resistive monopolar radiofrequency induces greater deep blood flow changes compared to pulsed mode shortwave: a crossover study in healthy adults’, European Journal of Physiotheraphy, first published online 20 April 2017. The version of record is available online at doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21679169.2017.1316310. © 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Aims: Radiofrequency-based electrophysical agents (EPAs) have been used in therapy practice over several decades (e.g. shortwave therapies). Currently, there is insufficient evidence supporting such EPAs operating below shortwave frequencies. This laboratory-based study investigated the deep physiological effects of 448 kHz capacitive resistive monopolar radiofrequency (CRMRF) and compared them to pulsed shortwave therapy (PSWT). Methods: In a randomized crossover study, 17 healthy volunteers initially received four treatment conditions: high, low and placebo dose conditions receiving 15-min CRMRF treatment and a control condition receiving no intervention. Fifteen participants additionally received high-dose PSWT as fifth condition, for comparison. Pre- and post-treatment measurements of deep blood flow and tissue extensibility were obtained using Doppler ultrasound and sonoelastography. Group data were compared using analysis of variance model. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ .05, 0.8 power, and 95% confidence interval. Results: Significant increases in volume and intensity of deep blood flow were obtained with CRMRF over placebo, control (p = .003) and PSWT (p < .001). No significant changes in blood flow velocity or tissue extensibility were noted for any condition. Conclusions: Deep blood flow changes with CRMRF were more pronounced than that with PSWT, placebo or control. Potential greater therapeutic benefits need to be confirmed with comparative clinical studies.Peer reviewe