Microbial calcium carbonate precipitation with high affinity to fill the concrete pore space: nanobiotechnological approach

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Despite the advantages of concrete, it has a pore structure and is susceptible to cracking. The initiated cracks as well as pores and their connectivity...     

Anisotropic stiffness and tensional homeostasis induce a natural anisotropy of volumetric growth and remodeling in soft biological tissues

Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology - Growth in soft biological tissues in general results in anisotropic changes of the tissue geometry. It remains a key challenge in biomechanics to...     

Species‐specific ontogenetic diet shifts attenuate trophic cascades and lengthen food chains in exploited ecosystems

Ontogenetic diet shifts are pervasive in food websbut rules governing their emergence and the implications for trophic cascades are only partly understood. Recent theoretical advances in multispecies size spectrum models (MSSMs) predict that the emergence of ontogenetic diet shifts are driven primarily by size‐selective predation and changes in the relative abundances of suitably sized prey. Howeverthese assumptions have not yet been tested with data. Herewe developed alternative MSSMs based on different assumptions about the nature of species and size‐based preferences and tested them using an extensive dietary database for the Eastern Bering Sea (EBS). MSSMs with both size and species‐specific prey preferences correctly predicted approximately three‐fold more of the diet links than those that assumed fixed species preferences. Importantlythese model assumptions also had a profound effect on the strength of fishing‐induced trophic cascades and the emergent trophic structure of the community with and without fishing. The diet‐informed models exhibited lower predation mortality ratesparticularly for small individuals (less than 1 g) whichin turnreduced the intensity and reach of fishing‐induced trophic cascades up the size spectrum. If the level and size dependency of piscivory observed in EBS predators is typical of other systemsthe potential for fishing‐induced trophic cascades may be over‐stated in MSSMs as they are currently formulated and parameterized. Representation of species‐specific ontogenetic shifts in diet can strongly influence system responses to perturbationsand the extensions we propose should accelerate adoption of MSSMs as frameworks for exploring size‐based food web theory and developing modeling tools to support strategic management decisions.     

Fungal growth inside saline-filled implants and the role of injection ports in fungal translocation: in vitro study

Infection is a serious complication of breast augmentation and tissue expansion with inflatable devices. Several reports have shown that fungi may be able to survive, colonize, and even cause infection in saline-filled devices. The mechanism of how they penetrate, spread, and colonize inside the inflatable implants is not exactly understood. The authors assessed both the expander membrane and the port in terms of leakage and penetration of Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger in an in vitro model. Thirty saline-filled expanders connected to the injection port were placed in sterile containers filled with tryptic soy broth culture medium to simulate the clinical situation in phases I and II. Intact and multipunctured ports were used in the first and second phases of the study, respectively. Either the container or the implant was inoculated with one of these fungi, and six implants in containers without fungal inoculation served as controls. As a third phase, intraluminal survival of fungi was investigated in saline-filled containers (n = 12) in 21 days. The silicone membrane, with its intact connecting tube and port, was impermeable to these fungi, whereas both fungi were able to diffuse inside-out or outside-in through the punctured ports. C. albicans did not survive beyond 18 days in saline, whereas A. niger continued to multiply at day 21. Chemical analyses of the implant fluids revealed that the contents of the culture medium diffused into the implants in phases I and II. The data show that an intact silicone membrane is impermeable to fungi, and punctured ports allow translocation of fungi into the implants. Fungi can grow and reproduce in a saline-only environment, and their survival periods differ among the species. Furthermore, their survival may be enhanced by the influx of substances through the implant shell.     

Balanced de novo translocation t(6;7)(p25;q31) and cleft palate as an isolated finding

We report a prenatally diagnosed balanced de novo translocation t(6;7)(p25;q31). Physical examination of the baby born at term revealed only a posterior cleft palate. Laboratory examinations and radiologic investigations were found normal. Two years follow-up of the patient showed her mental and motor development was appropriate with her age. Our report is the first observation on balanced de novo translocation t(6;7)(p25;q31) and cleft palate. Association of this translocation and cleft palate has not been reported previously.     

AB0 blood subgroup allele frequencies in the Turkish population

We determined the AB0 blood group system with a PCR based technique termed APLP (Amplified Product Length Polymorphism) in the Turkish population. The method includes ten different allele specific primers and permits identification of the major AB0 genotypes and its suballeles (A1-A2-B-0A-02-0G-AG). The suballeles were amplified in a single tube reaction. We have determined AB0 phenotypes in 129 Turkish individuals. No significant deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was observed.     

Cathepsin D expression in colorectal adenocarcinomas and adenomas

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of cathepsin D in colorectal cancer. For this purpose cathepsin D expression was evaluated by means of immunohistochemistry in stromal and tumor cells of 31 colorectal carcinomas and 29 adenomas. Cytoplasmic cathepsin D expression of tumor cells was present in 90.3% of the carcinoma cases and various degrees of stromal cell cathepsin D expression were present in all cases. In the adenomas, the epithelial cells and stromal cells expressed cathepsin D in 68.96% and 96.55% of cases, respectively. The staining intensity was always weaker in the adenomas. When the stromal and tumor cell cathepsin D expression in the adenocarcinoma and adenoma cases were compared, a statistically significant difference was observed in the staining of stromal cells. Furthermore, stromal cathepsin D expression in the adenocarcinomas was related to tumor stage when the carcinomas were divided into low and high stage. Cathepsin D expression in stromal cells may be an important indicator of poor prognosis in colorectal adenocarcinomas.     

Combined effects of cadmium and nickel on testicular xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in rats

When male rats were given a single dose of cadmium (Cd) (3.58 mg CdCl₂·H₂O/kg, ip) 72 hr prior to sacrifice, the testicular 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities toward the substrates 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB), ethacrynic acid (EAA), 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)-propane (EPNP), and cumene hydroperoxide (CHPx) decreased significantly as compared to controls. Cd also inhibited reduced glutathione (GSH) level while increasing the lipid peroxidation (LP) level significantly. When the animals were given a single dose of nickel (Ni) (59.5 mg NiCl₂·6H₂O/kg, ip) 16 hr prior to sacrifice, significant decreases were observed in EROD and GST activities toward CDNB, EAA, EPNP, and CHPx, and GSH level. No significant alterations were noted in DCNB GST activity and LP level by Ni. For the combined treatment, rats received the single dose of Ni 56 hr after the single dose of Cd and were killed 16 hr later. In these animals, lesser depressions were observed on EROD activity and LP level than those of Cd alone. The combination of metals significantly inhibited GST activities and GSH level but not to a greater degree than noted by Cd or Ni alone. Plasma testosterone levels of Cd-, Ni-, and combination-treated rats decreased significantly compared to controls. The strongest depression was achieved by Cd alone. Cd, both alone and in combination with Ni, increased the tissue Ni uptake significantly. Ni, however, did not produce such an effect on the tissue uptake of Cd in either case. Cd treatment caused interstitial edema and coagulation necrosis in seminiferous tubules and also caused fibrinoidal necrosis in vascular endothelium. Ni treatment did not produce any pathological testicular alterations compared to controls. Combined treatment produced fewer pathological alterations (i.e., only interstitial edema) than that of Cd treatment. These results reveal that the combination of Cd and Ni does not have a synergistic effect on testicular xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, and in contrast, Ni has an ameliorating effect on pathological disturbances caused by Cd alone in the rat testis.