Search results for "matrix"

Prognostic value of matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma and its association with angiogenesis

2016

Background: Breakdown of extracellular matrix (ECM) is one of the important hallmarks of cancer progression which facilitates the invasion of tumoral cells to the surrounding tissue. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) can degrade various components of the ECM and basement membrane. The aim of this study was to determine the role of matrix metalloproteinases-9 protein in the biologic behavior of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its relation with tumor angiogenesis. Material and Methods: In this study 42 OSCC and 15 normal epithelium were reviewed by immunohistochemical staining for matrix metalloproteinases-9 and CD105. Results: Matrix metalloproteinases-9 expression was detected in 32 …

Vascular patterns provide therapeutic targets in aggressive neuroblastic tumors

2016

// Irene Tadeo 1 , Gloria Bueno 2 , Ana P. Berbegall 1 , M. Milagro Fernandez-Carrobles 2 , Victoria Castel 3 , Marcial Garcia-Rojo 4 , Samuel Navarro 1 , Rosa Noguera 1 1 Pathology Department, Medical School, University of Valencia, INCLIVA, 46010 Valencia, Spain 2 VISILAB, E.T.S. Ingenieros Industriales, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain 3 Pediatric Oncology Unit, University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe, 46026 Valencia, Spain 4 Department of Pathology, Hospital de Jerez de la Frontera, 11407 Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, Spain Correspondence to: Rosa Noguera Salva, e-mail: rnoguera@uv.es Keywords: extracellular matrix, blood vessels, capillaries, sinusoids, neuro…

Optimized Mouse Models for Liver Fibrosis

2017

Fibrosis is the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix components due to chronic injury, with collagens as predominant structural components. Liver fibrosis can progress to cirrhosis, which is characterized by a severe distortion of the delicate hepatic vascular architecture, the shunting of the blood supply away from hepatocytes and the resultant functional liver failure. Cirrhosis is associated with a highly increased morbidity and mortality and represents the major hard endpoint in clinical studies of chronic liver diseases. Moreover, cirrhosis is a strong cofactor of primary liver cancer. In vivo models are indispensable tools to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of li…

A survey of clearing techniques for 3D imaging of tissues with special reference to connective tissue

2016

AbstractFor 3-dimensional (3D) imaging of a tissue, 3 methodological steps are essential and their successful application depends on specific characteristics of the type of tissue. The steps are 1° clearing of the opaque tissue to render it transparent for microscopy, 2° fluorescence labeling of the tissues and 3° 3D imaging. In the past decades, new methodologies were introduced for the clearing steps with their specific advantages and disadvantages. Most clearing techniques have been applied to the central nervous system and other organs that contain relatively low amounts of connective tissue including extracellular matrix. However, tissues that contain large amounts of extracellular mat…

Lon protease: a novel mitochondrial matrix protein in the interconnection between drug-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and endoplasmic reticulum st…

2017

Background and Purpose Mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs) are specific endoplasmic reticulum (ER) domains that enable it to interact directly with mitochondria and mediate metabolic flow and Ca2+ transfer. A growing list of proteins have been identified as MAMs components, but how they are recruited and function during complex cell stress situations is still not understood, while the participation of mitochondrial matrix proteins is largely unrecognized. Experimental Approach This work compares mitochondrial/ER contact during combined ER stress/mitochondrial dysfunction using a model of human hepatoma cells (Hep3B cell line) treated for 24 h with classic pharmacological inducers of ER…

Generalized Molecular Descriptors Derived From Event-Based Discrete Derivative.

2016

In the present study, a generalized approach for molecular structure characterization is introduced, based on the relation frequency matrix (F) representation of the molecular graph and the subsequent calculation of the corresponding discrete derivative (finite difference) over a pair of elements (atoms). In earlier publications (22- 24), an unique event, named connected subgraphs, (based on the Kier-Hall's subgraphs) was systematically employed for the computation of the matrix F. The present report is a generalization of this notion, in which eleven additional events are introduced, classified in three categories, namely, topological (terminal paths, vertex path incidence, quantum subgrap…

Evaluating the antifibrotic potency of galunisertib in a human ex vivo model of liver fibrosis

2017

Background and Purpose Liver fibrosis is a major cause of liver-related mortality and, so far, no effective antifibrotic drug is available. Galunisertib, a TGF-β receptor type I kinase inhibitor, is a potential candidate for the treatment of liver fibrosis. Here, we evaluated the potency of galunisertib in a human ex vivo model of liver fibrosis. Experimental Approach Antifibrotic potency and associated mechanisms were studied ex vivo, using both healthy and cirrhotic human precision-cut liver slices. Fibrosis-related parameters, both transcriptional and translational level, were assessed after treatment with galunisertib. Key Results Galunisertib showed a prominent antifibrotic potency. Ph…

Direct identification of microorganisms from thioglycolate broth by MALDI-TOF MS.

2017

We developed an easy MALDI-TOF MS-based assay to identify microorganisms directly from thioglycolate broth. A total of 101 positive thioglycolate broths inoculated with 15 different kinds of samples were evaluated. In 91 samples (90.1%), direct MALDI-TOF MS identifications were the same as those obtained after conventional laboratory procedures including subcultures. In 10 samples misidentified by direct processing, yeasts or mixed cultures grew in the thioglycolate subcultures, or high cellular debris hampered a correct analysis. This rapid method can provide a fast, clinically- relevant species-level identification without disturbing the daily workflow in clinical microbiology laboratorie…

KnotGenome: a server to analyze entanglements of chromosomes.

2018

Abstract The KnotGenome server enables the topological analysis of chromosome model data using three-dimensional coordinate files of chromosomes as input. In particular, it detects prime and composite knots in single chromosomes, and links between chromosomes. The knotting complexity of the chromosome is presented in the form of a matrix diagram that reveals the knot type of the entire polynucleotide chain and of each of its subchains. Links are determined by means of the Gaussian linking integral and the HOMFLY-PT polynomial. Entangled chromosomes are presented graphically in an intuitive way. It is also possible to relax structure with short molecular dynamics runs before the analysis. Kn…

2017

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the mutant EGFRvIII are major focal points in current concepts of targeted cancer therapy for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most malignant primary brain tumor. The receptors participate in the key processes of tumor cell invasion and tumor-related angiogenesis and their upregulation correlates with the poor prognosis of glioma patients. Glioma cell invasion and increased angiogenesis share mechanisms of the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) through upregulation of ECM-degrading proteases as well as the activation of aberrant signaling pathways. This review describes the role of EGFR and EGFRvIII in those mechanisms which might off…