Search results for "DEVICES"
showing 10 items of 615 documents
Rad51 and BRCA2 - New Molecular Targets for Sensitizing Glioma Cells to Alkylating Anticancer Drugs
2011
First line chemotherapeutics for brain tumors (malignant gliomas) are alkylating agents such as temozolomide and nimustine. Despite growing knowledge of how these agents work, patients suffering from this malignancy still face a dismal prognosis. Alkylating agents target DNA, forming the killing lesion O(6)-alkylguanine, which is converted into DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that trigger apoptosis. Here we assessed whether inhibiting repair of DSBs by homologous recombination (HR) or non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is a reasonable strategy for sensitizing glioma cells to alkylating agents. For down-regulation of HR in glioma cells, we used an interference RNA (iRNA) approach targeting Ra…
Hyaluronic acid based nanohydrogels fabricated by microfluidics for the potential targeted release of Imatinib: Characterization and preliminary eval…
2019
Abstract Microfluidics is emerging as an innovative technique for the “on chip” fabrication of nanoparticles for drug delivery applications. Here, by using an amphiphilic derivative of hyaluronic acid as a starting macromolecule, nanohydrogels loaded with Imatinib were produced by the microfluidic procedure in order to develop an innovative therapeutic tool for the treatment of retinal neovascularization. Both cyRGDC functionalized and non-functionalized nanohydrogels were designed and fabricated by using the same technique. The targeting efficiency of the obtained nanosystems was studied in vitro on human retinal pigment epithelial cells (HRPEpiC) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells…
Devices for the capture of rare cells from biological samples for diagnostic purposes
2022
The chance of surviving to a disease often depends on early diagnosis and effective therapy. In the field of early prenatal diagnosis, micromanipulation is a reliable technique for manual selection and isolation of rare fetal cells in maternal biological fluids for molecular or cytogenetic analysis. This technique allows obtaining pure cell populations for analysis, but it is expensive and time consuming, as it requires qualified and experienced staff and specific equipment [1]. This research aims at making the prenatal diagnosis more economical and reproducible in the hospital environment, by creating a device that allows selecting rare cells from biological samples in a semi-automated way…
Rare cell capture platforms based on antibody-conjugated electrospun nanofiber mats for noninvasive prenatal diagnostics
2022
The chance of surviving to a disease often depends on early diagnosis and effective therapy. In the field of early prenatal diagnosis, micromanipulation is a reliable technique for manual selection and isolation of rare fetal cells in maternal biological fluids for molecular or cytogenetic analysis. This technique allows obtaining pure cell populations for analysis, but it is expensive and time consuming, as it requires qualified and experienced staff and specific equipment [1]. The aim of this study is to make the prenatal diagnosis more economical and reproducible in the hospital environment, by creating a device that allows selecting rare cells from biological samples in a semi-automated…
Fracture resistance and the mode of failure produced in metal-free crowns cemented onto zirconia abutments in dental implants.
2019
The purpose of the investigation was to analyze fracture resistance and mode of failure of zirconium oxide (zirconia) abutments placed on dental implants bearing crowns of different esthetic materials: zirconia, lithium disilicate (LDS), and nano-ceramic resin, for replacing single teeth in the anterior sector. Eighty implant-abutment-crown units were divided into four groups: Group T-MC (control): 20 metal-ceramic crowns cemented onto titanium abutments; Group Z-Z: 20 zirconia crowns on zirconia abutments; Group Z-LD: 20 lithium disilicate crowns on zirconia abutments; and Group Z-NCR: 20 nano-ceramic resin crowns on zirconia abutments. Specimens underwent a fatiguing process (dynamic load…
Validity and reliability of Veloflex to measure active cervical range of motion in asymptomatic and symptomatic subjects
2021
Background Neck pain has a high annual incidence and decreases the cervical active range of motion (ROM). Clinicians use various methods to evaluate cervical range of motion (CROM) that some of them have also been proposed to give instant feedback. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of Veloflex (VF) to measure the CROM by comparison with the cervical range of motion (CROM) device, and to examine their test-retest reliability. Methods Thirty-eight healthy and 20 symptomatic participants were evaluated. Cervical flexion-extension, side bending, and rotations were tested in two sessions, first by the CROM and VF and in the second only with the VF. To evaluat…
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined With Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Smoking Cessation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
2015
Abstract Background Further evidence suggests that repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is an effective method to reduce tobacco craving among smokers. Hypothesis As relapse is common within a few days after smoking cessation, we hypothesized that combining the anti-craving effects of rTMS with Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to attenuate withdrawal symptoms could increase abstinence rates in smokers with severe nicotine dependence who quit smoking. Methods Thirty-seven smokers who failed to quit with the usual treatments were randomly assigned to two treatment groups to receive either active ( n = 18) or sham ( n = 19) 1-Hz rTMS of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cort…
Synergies between Hyperpolarized NMR and Microfluidics: A Review
2021
Hyperpolarized nuclear magnetic resonance and lab-on-a-chip microfluidics are two dynamic, but until recently quite distinct, fields of research. Recent developments in both areas increased their synergistic overlap. By microfluidic integration, many complex experimental steps can be brought together onto a single platform. Microfluidic devices are therefore increasingly finding applications in medical diagnostics, forensic analysis, and biomedical research. In particular, they provide novel and powerful ways to culture cells, cell aggregates, and even functional models of entire organs. Nuclear magnetic resonance is a non-invasive, high-resolution spectroscopic technique which allows real-…
Use of semipermeable membrane devices for assessment of air quality in Tangier (Morocco)
2009
Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) have been used for the evaluation of the contamination of air in both the urban and the industrial area in Tangier (Morocco). Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene a...
Synthesis, characterization, and hierarchical organization of tungsten oxide nanorods: spreading driven by Marangoni flow.
2009
Tungsten oxide nanorods were synthesized by a soft chemistry approach using tungsten alkoxide and trioctyl amine and oleic acid as the surfactants. The optical properties of the nanorods were studied. The nanorods were found to be soluble in a wide range of solvents like chloroform, cyclohexane, and so on. Upon solvent evaporation, the nanorods formed hierarchically organized solid state structures. Depending on the solvent used, the nanorods organized in different mesostructures. Moreover, the organization of the nanorods from mixtures of polar and nonpolar solvents was studied. Here, the Marangoni effect resulting from differences in the surface tensions of the two solvents was found to p…