Deterioration in nest quality triggers relocation without affecting its dynamics in an ant

Insectes Sociaux - Nests play an important role in the lives of organisms that occupy them and a suitable nesting site has to be selected carefully. Sometimes, a nest of better quality may be...     

Cochlear supporting cells require GAS2 for cytoskeletal architecture and hearing

1. Download : Download high-res image (237KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Fabrication and characterization of chlorhexidine gluconate loaded poly(vinyl alcohol)/45S5 nano-bioactive glass nanofibrous membrane for guided tissue regeneration applications

Polymeric barrier membranes are used in periodontal applications to prevent fibroblastic cell migration into the cavities of bone tissue and to properly guide the proliferation of tissues. In this study, the fabrication, characterization, bioactivity, and in vitro biological properties of polyvinyl alcohol-based nanofibrous membranes containing nano-sized 45S5 bioactive glass (BG) loaded with chlorhexidine (CH) gluconate with biocompatible, bioactive, and antibacterial properties for using as dental barrier membranes were investigated. Nanofibrous membranes with an average fiber diameter, pore size, and porosity of 210 nm, 24.73 μm, and 12.42%, respectively, were loaded with 1% and 2% CH, and the release profile was investigated. The presence of BG in the membranes promoted fibroblastic proliferation and the presence of CH provided antibacterial properties. Nanofibrous membranes exhibit a high ability to restrict bacterial growth while fulfilling the necessary conditions for use as a dental barrier thanks to their low swelling rates, significant surface bioactivities, and appropriate degradation levels.     

Investigation of transmitter-receptor interactions by analyzing postsynaptic membrane noise using stochastic kinetics

The stoichiometric and kinetic details of transmitter-receptor interaction (the number of conformations and the rate constants of conformation changes) in synaptic transmission have been investigated analyzing postsynaptic membrane noises by the aid of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem of stochastic chemical kinetics. The main assumptions are the following: (i) the transmitter-receptor interaction is modelled by a closed compartment system (a special complex chemical reaction) of unknown length,- (ii) the quantity of transmitter is maintained at a constant level,- (iii) the conductance is a linear function of the conformation quantity vector.- The main conclusion is: the conductance spectral density function is determined by three qualitatively different factors: (i) the length of the compartment system,- (ii) the precise form of the conductance-conformation quantity vector,-(iii) the matrix of the reaction rate constants.     

IGFBP-4: A promising biomarker for lung cancer

Background: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4 (IGFBP-4), a member of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family, transports, and regulates the activity of IGFs. The pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) has proteolytic activity towards IGFBP-4, and both proteins have been associated with a variety of cancers, including lung cancer. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the use of IGFBP-4 and PAPP-A as potential biomarkers for lung cancer. Methods: Eighty-three volunteers, including 60 patients with lung cancer and 23 healthy individuals, were included in this study. The patients with lung cancer were selected based on their treatment status, histological subgroup, and stage of the disease. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to assess the serum levels of IGFBP-4 and PAPPA, whereas the IGF-1 levels were measured using a chemiluminescent immunometric assay. Results: The serum IGFBP-4 levels in all patient groups, regardless of the treatment status and histological differences, were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.005). However, the serum PAPP-A levels in the untreated patient group were found to be higher than those in the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.086). Conclusions: The serum PAPP-A and IGFBP-4 levels are elevated in lung cancer. However, IGFBP-4 may have better potential than PAPP-A as a lung cancer biomarker.