Androgen-regulated genes differentially modulated by the androgen receptor coactivator L-dopa decarboxylase in human prostate cancer cells

Background The androgen receptor is a ligand-induced transcriptional factor, which plays an important role in normal development of the prostate as well as in the progression of prostate cancer to a hormone refractory state. We previously reported the identification of a novel AR coactivator protein, L-dopa decarboxylase (DDC), which can act at the cytoplasmic level to enhance AR activity. We have also shown that DDC is a neuroendocrine (NE) marker of prostate cancer and that its expression is increased after hormone-ablation therapy and progression to androgen independence. In the present study, we generated tetracycline-inducible LNCaP-DDC prostate cancer stable cells to identify DDC downstream target genes by oligonucleotide microarray analysis. Results Comparison of induced DDC overexpressing cells versus non-induced control cell lines revealed a number of changes in the expression of androgen-regulated transcripts encoding proteins with a variety of molecular functions, including signal transduction, binding and catalytic activities. There were a total of 35 differentially expressed genes, 25 up-regulated and 10 down-regulated, in the DDC overexpressing cell line. In particular, we found a well-known androgen induced gene, TMEPAI, which wasup-regulated in DDC overexpressing cells, supporting its known co-activation function. In addition, DDC also further augmented the transcriptional repression function of AR for a subset of androgen-repressed genes. Changes in cellular gene transcription detected by microarray analysis were confirmed for selected genes by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Conclusion Taken together, our results provide evidence for linking DDC action with AR signaling, which may be important for orchestrating molecular changes responsible for prostate cancer progression.

Mathematically defined tissue engineering scaffold architectures prepared by stereolithography

The technologies employed for the preparation of conventional tissue engineering scaffolds restrict the materials choice and the extent to which the architecture can be designed. Here we show the versatility of stereolithography with respect to materials and freedom of design. Porous scaffolds are designed with computer software and built with either a poly(d,l-lactide)-based resin or a poly(d,l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone)-based resin. Characterisation of the scaffolds by micro-computed tomography shows excellent reproduction of the designs. The mechanical properties are evaluated in compression, and show good agreement with finite element predictions. The mechanical properties of scaffolds can be controlled by the combination of material and scaffold pore architecture. The presented technology and materials enable an accurate preparation of tissue engineering scaffolds with a large freedom of design, and properties ranging from rigid and strong to highly flexible and elastic.

L'Impatto delle Condizioni Interne ed Esterne sul Ruolo del Cda : un'Analisi Empirica sulle Grandi Imprese Italiane [The impact of internal and external contingencies on board tasks performance : an empirical investigation of Italian companies]

Il Consiglio di Amministrazione (CdA) è il principale organo di governo delle aziende. La letteratura gli attribuisce tre ruoli: controllo, indirizzo strategico e collegamento con l’ambiente (networking). Precedenti studi empirici hanno analizzato se un Consiglio di Amministrazione è attivo o meno in tutti e tre i ruoli in un dato momento. Nel presente lavoro, invece, si propone un approccio «contingente» e si analizzano i ruoli svolti dal CdA al variare delle condizioni interne (aziende in crisi o di successo) ed esterne (aziende in settori competitivi o regolamentati).. L’indagine empirica è stata condotta su un campione di 301 imprese italiane di grandi dimensioni. I risultati supportano la tesi iniziale secondo cui le condizioni interne ed esterne incidono sul ruolo svolto dal CdA. In particolare i risultati evidenziano che il CdA non svolge sempre tutti e tre i ruoli nello stesso momento, ma esso si concentra sul ruolo o sui ruoli che assumono grande importanza nella situazione in cui si trova l’azienda. Con riferimento alle condizioni interne, nelle imprese in crisi il CdA è attivo in tutti e tre i ruoli, mentre in quelle di successo prevale un orientamento verso la funzione strategica. Nelle aziende che operano in settori competitivi il ruolo di controllo è più pressante mentre nei settori regolamentati prevale una funzione di networking.

L'informativa di bilancio nelle imprese familiari di piccole dimensioni : caratteri distintivi e aspetti evolutivi

SOMMARIO: 1. I fattori che incidono sulla funzione informativa del bilancio nelle imprese familiari. 2. Funzione, obiettivi e attese informative nella comunicazione esterna delle imprese familiari. 3. I caratteri del “familismo” nei prospetti di bilancio. 4. Verso un nuovo modello di bilancio per le imprese familiari: riflessioni critiche e spunti per la ricerca.

Development of a PDLLA-based stereolithography resin for making tissue engineering scaffolds

The use of porous structures as tissue engineering scaffolds imposes high demands on the pore architecture. Stereolithography is a rapid prototyping method based on photo-polymerisation, that can be utilised to make 3D constructs with high spatial control. In this study, biodegradable resins were developed that can find application in stereolithography. Poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) oligomers were synthesised and functionalised with methacrylate end-groups. By mixing the resulting macromers with a diluent, photo-initiator and inhibitor, lowviscosity resins were obtained that were photocrosslinked to yield stiff and strong degradable poly(lactide) networks. Also, porous scaffolds were fabricated on a stereolithography apparatus (SLA) from a nondegradable resin.

Properties of porous structures prepared by stereolithography using a polylactide resin

Rapid prototyping techniques such as stereolithography allow for building designed tissue engineering scaffolds with high accuracy. In this work, a stereolithography resin based on poly(D,L-lactide) was developed. Biodegradable scaffolds with varying porosity were built from this resin. The scaffolds were analysed by μCT-scanning and compression testing. The porous structures showed excellent mechanical properties in the range of trabecular bone.

Melt electrospinning of polycaprolactone and its blends with poly(ethylene glycol)

Melt electrospinning is one aspect of electrospinning with relatively little published literature, although the technique avoids solvent accumulation and/or toxicity which is favoured in certain applications. In the study reported, we melt-electrospun blends of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and an amphiphilic diblock copolymer consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) and PCL segments (PEG-block-PCL). A custom-made electrospinning apparatus was built and various combinations of instrument parameters such as voltage and polymer feeding rate were investigated. Pure PEG-block-PCL copolymer melt electrospinning did not result in consistent and uniform fibres due to the low molecular weight, while blends of PCL and PEG-block-PCL, for some parameter combinations and certain weight ratios of the two components, were able to produce continuous fibres significantly thinner (average diameter of ca 2 µm) compared to pure PCL. The PCL fibres obtained had average diameters ranging from 6 to 33 µm and meshes were uniform for the lowest voltage employed while mesh uniformity decreased when the voltage was increased. This approach shows that PCL and blends of PEG-block-PCL and PCL can be readily processed by melt electrospinning to obtain fibrous meshes with varied average diameters and morphologies that are of interest for tissue engineering purposes. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

catena-Poly[[[diaquacobalt(II)]-mu-(3,5-dinitro-2-oxidobenzoato)-kappa3O1,O2:O1'-[tetraaquacobalt(II)]-mu-(3,5-dinitro-2-oxidobenzoato)-kappa3-O1:O1',O2] dihydrate]

In the structure of polymeric title compound, {[Co2(C7H2N2O7)2(H2O)6] . 2H2O}n from the reaction of 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid with cobalt(II) acetate, both slightly distorted octahedral Co(II) centres have crystallographic inversion symmetry. The coordination sphere about one Co centre comprises four O donors from two bidentate chelate O(phenolate), O(carboxyl) and bridging dianionic ligands and two water molecules [Co-O range, 2.0249(11)-2.1386(14)A] while that about the second Co centre has four water molecules and two bridging carboxyl O donor atoms [Co-O range, 2.0690(14)-2.1364(11)A]. The coordinated water molecules as well as the water molecules of solvation give water-water and water-carboxyl hydrogen-bonding interactions in the three-dimensional framework structure.

Cultivar-specific effects of pathogen testing on storage root yield of sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.

The accumulation and perpetuation of viral pathogens over generations of clonal propagation in crop species such as sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas,inevitably result in a reduction in crop yield and quality. This study was conducted at Bundaberg, Australia to compare the productivity of field-derived and pathogen-tested (PT)clones of 14 sweet potato cultivars and the yield benefits of using healthy planting materials. The field-derived clonal materials were exposed to the endemic viruses, while the PT clones were subjected to thermotherapy and meristem-tip culture to eliminate viral pathogens. The plants were indexed for viruses using nitrocellulose membrane-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and graft-inoculations onto Ipomoea setosa. A net benefit of 38% in storage root yield was realised from using PT materials in this study.Conversely, in a similar study previously conducted at Kerevat, Papua New Guinea (PNG), a net deficit of 36% was realised. This reinforced our finding that the response to pathogen testing was cultivar dependent and that the PNG cultivars in these studies generally exhibited increased tolerance to the endemic viruses present at the respective trial sites as manifested in their lack of response from the use of PT clones. They may be useful sources for future resistance breeding efforts. Nonetheless, the potential economic gain from using PT stocks necessitates the use of pathogen testing on virus-susceptible commercial cultivars.

Evidence of multiwall carbon nanotube deformation caused by poly(3-hexylthiophene) adhesion

We show that when a soft polymer like Poly(3-hexyl-thiophene) wraps multiwall nanotubes by coiling around the main axis, a localized deformation of the nanotube structure is observed. High resolution transmission electron microscopy shows that radial compressions of about 4% can take place, and could possibly lead to larger interlayer distance between the nanotube inner walls and reduce the innermost nanotube radius. The mechanical stress due to the polymer presence was confirmed by Raman spectroscopic observation of a gradual upshift of the carbon nanotube G-band when the polymer content in the composites was progressively increased. Vibrational spectroscopy also indicates that charge transfer from the polymer to the nanotubes is responsible for a peak frequency relative downshift for high P3HT-content samples. Continuously acquired transmission electron microscopy images at rising temperature show the MWCNT elastic compression and relaxation due to polymer rearrangement on the nanotube surface.

The 3D model of l(IT)eracy and the English curriculum

The field of literacy studies has always been challenged by the changing technologies that humans have used to express, represent and communicate their feelings, ideas, understandings and knowledge. However, while the written word has remained central to literacy processes over a long period, it is generally accepted that there have been significant changes to what constitutes ‘literate’ practice. In particular, the status of the printed word has been challenged by the increasing dominance of the image, along with the multimodal meaning-making systems facilitated by digital media. For example, Gunther Kress and other members of the New London Group have argued that the second half of the twentieth century saw a significant cultural shift from the linguistic to the visual as the dominant semiotic mode. This in turn, they suggest, was accompanied by a cultural shift ‘from page to screen’ as a dominant space of representation (e.g. Cope & Kalantzis, 2000; Kress, 2003; New London Group, 1996). In a similar vein, Bill Green has noted that we have witnessed a shift from the regime of the print apparatus to a regime of the digital electronic apparatus (Lankshear, Snyder and Green, 2000). For these reasons, the field of literacy education has been challenged to find new ways to conceptualise what is meant by ‘literacy’ in the twenty first century and to rethink the conditions under which children might best be taught to be fully literate so that they can operate with agency in today’s world.

The effects of bioactive akermanite on physiochemical, drug-delivery and biological properties of poly (lactide-co-glycolide) beads

Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) beads have been widely studied as a potential drug/protein carrier. The main shortcomings of PLGA beads are that they lack bioactivity and controllable drug-delivery ability, and their acidic degradation by-products can lead to pH decrease in the vicinity of the implants. Akermanite (AK) (Ca(2) MgSi(2) O(7) ) is a novel bioactive ceramic which has shown excellent bioactivity and degradation in vivo. This study aimed to incorporate AK to PLGA beads to improve the physiochemical, drug-delivery, and biological properties of PLGA beads. The microstructure of beads was characterized by SEM. The effect of AK incorporating into PLGA beads on the mechanical strength, apatite-formation ability, the loading and release of BSA, and the proliferation, and differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) was investigated. The results showed that the incorporation of AK into PLGA beads altered the anisotropic microporous structure into homogenous one and improved their compressive strength and apatite-formation ability in simulated body fluids (SBF). AK neutralized the acidic products from PLGA beads, leading to stable pH value of 7.4 in biological environment. AK led to a sustainable and controllable release of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in PLGA beads. The incorporation of AK into PLGA beads enhanced the proliferation and alkaline phosphatase activity of BMSCs. This study implies that the incorporation of AK into PLGA beads is a promising method to enhance their physiochemical and biological property. AK/PLGA composite beads are a potential bioactive drug-delivery system for bone tissue repair.

CaSiO3 microstructure modulating the in vitro and in vivo bioactivity of poly (lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres

Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres have been used for regenerative medicine due to their ability for drug delivery and generally good biocompatibility, but they lack adequate bioactivity for bone repair application. CaSiO3 (CS) has been proposed as a new class of material suitable for bone tissue repair due to its excellent bioactivity. In this study, we set out to incorporate CS into PLGA microspheres to investigate how the phase structure (amorphous and crystal) of CS influences the in vitro and in vivo bioactivity of the composite microspheres, with a view to the application for bone regeneration. X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to analyze the phase structure, surface area/pore volume, and microstructure of amorphous CS (aCS) and crystal CS (cCS), as well as their composite microspheres. The in vitro bioactivity of aCS and cCS – PLGA microspheres was evaluated by investigating their apatite-mineralization ability in simulated body fluids (SBF) and the viability of human bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). The in vivo bioactivity was investigated by measuring their de novo bone-formation ability. The results showed that the incorporation of both aCS and cCS enhanced the in vitro and in vivo bioactivity of PLGA microspheres. cCS/PLGA microspheres improved better in vitro BMSC viability and de novo bone-formation ability in vivo, compared to aCS/PLGA microspheres. Our study indicates that controlling the phase structure of CS is a promising method to modulate the bioactivity of polymer microsphere system for potential bone tissue regeneration.