Multilevel control of multistage continuous culture using a microprocessor

This paper describes the implementation of multilevel techniques using a microprocessor to control multistage continuous culture systems. A system which produces gramicidin S is taken as an example. The single level technique using the conjugate gradient method is applied to solve the two-stage and the three-stage continuous culture and is compared with the multilevel one. The results show that the application of multilevel techniques is more advantageous and suitable for this system than any other method which has been utilized so far. The advantages of using a microprocessor will be stated.     

Seropositivity is associated with insulin resistance in patients with early inflammatory polyarthritis: results from the Norfolk Arthritis Register (NOAR): an observational study

Introduction  

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in patients with inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), especially in seropositive disease. In established rheumatoid arthritis (RA), insulin resistance (IR) is increased and associated with CVD. We investigated factors associated with IR in an inception cohort of patients with early IP.     

Pluripotency Gene Expression and Growth Control in Cultures of Peripheral Blood Monocytes during Their Conversion into Programmable Cells of Monocytic Origin (PCMO): Evidence for a Regulatory Role of Autocrine Activin and TGF-β

Previous studies have shown that peripheral blood monocytes can be converted in vitro to a stem cell-like cell termed PCMO as evidenced by the re-expression of pluripotency-associated genes, transient proliferation, and the ability to adopt the phenotype of hepatocytes and insulin-producing cells upon tissue-specific differentiation. However, the regulatory interactions between cultured cells governing pluripotency and mitotic activity have remained elusive. Here we asked whether activin(s) and TGF-β(s), are involved in PCMO generation. De novo proliferation of PCMO was higher under adherent vs. suspended culture conditions as revealed by the appearance of a subset of Ki67-positive monocytes and correlated with down-regulation of p21^WAF1 beyond day 2 of culture. Realtime-PCR analysis showed that PCMO express ActRIIA, ALK4, TβRII, ALK5 as well as TGF-β1 and the β_A subunit of activin. Interestingly, expression of ActRIIA and ALK4, and activin A levels in the culture supernatants increased until day 4 of culture, while levels of total and active TGF-β1 strongly declined. PCMO responded to both growth factors in an autocrine fashion with intracellular signaling as evidenced by a rise in the levels of phospho-Smad2 and a drop in those of phospho-Smad3. Stimulation of PCMO with recombinant activins (A, B, AB) and TGF-β1 induced phosphorylation of Smad2 but not Smad3. Inhibition of autocrine activin signaling by either SB431542 or follistatin reduced both Smad2 activation and Oct4A/Nanog upregulation. Inhibition of autocrine TGF-β signaling by either SB431542 or anti-TGF-β antibody reduced Smad3 activation and strongly increased the number of Ki67-positive cells. Furthermore, anti-TGF-β antibody moderately enhanced Oct4A/Nanog expression. Our data show that during PCMO generation pluripotency marker expression is controlled positively by activin/Smad2 and negatively by TGF-β/Smad3 signaling, while relief from growth inhibition is primarily the result of reduced TGF-β/Smad3, and to a lesser extent, activin/Smad2 signaling.     

Bone Marrow and Adipose‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Alleviate Methotrexate‐Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis in Rat: Comparison with Dexamethasone

The present study examined the therapeutic effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM‐MSCs) and adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD‐MSCs) in methotrexate (MTX)‐induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats as compared with dexamethasone (Dex). MTX (14 mg/kg, as a single dose/week for 2 weeks, p.o.) induced lung fibrosis as marked by elevation of relative lung weight, malondialdehyde, nitrite/nitrate, interleukin‐4, transforming growth factor‐β1, deposited collagen, as well as increased expression of Bax along with the reduction of reduced glutathione content and superoxide dismutase activity. These deleterious effects were antagonized after treatment either with BM‐MSCs or AD‐MSCs (2 × 10⁶ cells/rat) 2 weeks after MTX to even a better extent than Dex (0.5 mg/kg/ for 7 days, p.o.). In conclusion, BM‐MSC and AD‐MSCs possessed antioxidant, antiapoptotic, as well as antifibrotic effects, which will probably introduce them as remarkable candidates for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.     

Isolation of Bioactive Compounds from Pistacia integerrima with Promising Effects on Reverse Cancer Multidrug Resistance

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - Pistacia integerrima grows in some areas of Pakistan and some other south Asian countries such as Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Myanmar. It is an...