Surfactant-mediated wetting and spreading: Recent advances and applications

Surfactant-mediated wetting and spreading are ubiquitous. Understanding of these phenomena in-depth allows precise tailoring of wetting performance which can contribute to global challenges in the food supply chain, healthcare, ecology and industrial processes. The first part of this review shows how surfactants can be used to improve the efficacy of fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture, enhanced oil recovery, treatment of lung diseases and extinguishing fires involving flammable liquids. The second part provides analysis of recent studies on wetting and spreading over solid substrates. It includes discussion on the effect of surfactants on the outcome of the impact of liquid drops, the wetting state after impact, autophobic effect and spreading kinetics for both partial and complete wetting, including superspreading. Perspectives of future development in the area of surfactant-assisted wetting and spreading on solid substrates are outlined.     

藤黄酸诱导肺癌细胞H1975凋亡的机制研究

目的 研究藤黄酸（GA）诱导人肺癌细胞H1975凋亡的分子机制,探讨氧自由基（ROS）和JNK信号通路在GA杀伤 肺癌细胞中的作用。方法 以人肺癌细胞H1975为研究对象,MTT法测定GA抑制细胞增殖的作用,Annexin V/PI 双染法测定细胞凋亡率,DCFH-DA 法测定ROS 含量,JC-1探针染色分析线粒体膜电位（MMP）,Western blot检测JNK 信号通路的激活和线粒体凋亡途径相关蛋白表达的变化。结果 GA 呈剂量依赖性抑制H1975细胞的增殖,各实验组细胞存活率与空白对照组比较,均有统计学差异（P＜0.05 或0.01）。1、2.5 和5滋mol/L GA 作用24h 后,细胞凋亡率分别为25.2%、51.8%和75.1%,剪切型凋亡相关蛋白cleaved caspase-9、cleaved caspase-3 和cleaved PARP 的表达随GA 浓度增高而显著增加,与空白对照组比较,均有统计学差异（P＜0.05或0.01）。GA 作用2h 后H1975细胞ROS 含量显著升高,磷酸化JNK（p-JNK）表达上调（P＜0.05或0.01）。GA 作用16h后各实验组细胞MMP 均明显降低（均P＜0.05）。GA 作用24h后实验组细胞线粒体凋亡途径相关蛋白Bax、Bak、Bik表达增加,而抗凋亡蛋白Bcl-2表达与空白对照组相比明显下降（P＜0.05 或0.01）。结论 GA 具有诱导H1975 细胞凋亡的作用,其可能机制是上调细胞内ROS含量,激活JNK 信号通路,进而引起MMP 降低和线粒体凋亡途径激活。     

Optimal flow conditions of a tracheobronchial model to reengineer lung structures

The high demand for lung transplants cannot be matched by an adequate number of lungs from donors. Since fully ex-novo lungs are far from being feasible, tissue engi-neering is actively considering implantation of engineered lungs where the devitalized structure of a donor is used as scaffold to be repopulated by stem cells of the receiv-ing patient. A decellularized donated lung is treated inside a bioreactor where transport through the tracheobronchial tree (TBT) will allow for both deposition of stem cells and nour-ishment for their subsequent growth, thus developing new lung tissue. The key concern is to set optimally the boundary conditions to utilize in the bioreactor. We propose a pre-dictive model of slow liquid ventilation, which combines a one-dimensional (1-D) mathematical model of the TBT and a solute deposition model strongly dependent on fluid velocity across the tree. With it, we were able to track and drive the concentration of a generic solute across the airways, look-ing for its optimal distribution. This was given by properly adjusting the pumps' regime serving the bioreactor. A feed-back system, created by coupling the two models, allowed us to derive the optimal pattern. The TBT model can be easily invertible, thus yielding a straightforward flow/pressure law at the inlet to optimize the efficiency of the bioreactor.     

Chemotherapy control by breath profile with application of SPME‐GC/MS method

Chemotherapy used as a treatment against lung cancer has influence on metabolic processes occurring in healthy cells. The changes of biochemical pathways proceeded inside cells might be observed in expired air. In the experiment, breath analysis was carried out before and after anticancer therapy. Expired air samples were collected from 22 patients with a biopsy confirmed lung cancer. Volatile organic compounds present in breath were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. For enrichment of analytes solid‐phase microextraction technique was applied. Eight fibers covered by different sorbents were tested. Carboxen‐polydimethylsiloxane fiber revealed the highest extraction efficiency in relation to analytes in breath. The data showed that cytostatic drugs increase the concentration of acetone and isoprene in the breath collected after chemotherapy. Volatile metabolites of administrated drugs were not identified in expired air.     

Urinary metabolomic study of non‐small cell lung carcinoma based on ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Metabolic profiles from human urine reveal the significant difference of carnitine and acylcarnitines levels between non‐small cell lung carcinoma patients and healthy controls. Urine samples from cancer patients and healthy individuals were assayed in this metabolomic study using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. The data were normalized by the sum of all intensities and creatinine calibration, respectively, before orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Twenty differential metabolites were identified based on standard compounds or tandem mass spectrometry fragments. Among them, some medium‐/long‐chain acylcarnitines, for example, cis‐3,4‐methylene heptanoylcarnitine, were found to be downregulated while carnitine was upregulated in urine samples from the cancer group compared to the control group. Receiver operating characteristic analysis of the two groups showed that the area under curve for the combination of carnitine and 11 selected acylcarnitines was 0.958. This study suggests that the developed carnitine and acylcarnitines profiling method has the potential to be used for screening non‐small cell lung carcinoma.     

肺部超声B线数目与血管外肺水的相关性分析

目的探讨肺部超声监测B线数目在老年脓毒症患者液体复苏过程中评估血管外肺水的价值。方法在老年脓毒症患者液体复苏过程中应用肺部超声动态监测患者双侧胸骨旁、锁骨中线、腋前线及腋中线B线数目,同时应用脉波指示剂连续心排血量法（pulseindicatorcontinuouscardiacoutput,PiCCO）监测血管外肺水指数（extravascularlungwaterindex,EVLWI）对比,对B线数目与EVLWI进行Pearson相关性分析。结果共纳入28例患者,采集95组数据,B线数目和EVLWI呈正相关（r=0.92,P＜0.01）,同时发现B线数目与肺血管通透性指数（pulmonaryvascularpenetrationindex,PVPI）呈正相关（r=0.80,P＜0.01）。结论B线数目与EVLWI相关性良好,在老年脓毒症液体复苏过程中应用无创肺部超声可实时、动态地进行肺水监测,以早期发现肺水肿。     

Formation of Glyco-Functionalized Platinum Complexes by Cross-Metathesis and Evaluation of Their Efficacy in Inhibition of Lung Tumor Cell Lines

Syntheses of carbohydrate-functionalized platinum complexes resembling presently employed cytostatics were performed. Mono-allylated sugar substrates obtained in two steps from glucose and galactose were connected with 2-allyl diethyl malonate by cross-metathesis. Following hydrogenation and acidic cleavage of the ester and alkylidene functionalities gave dicarboxylated glycoconjugates, which were transformed into their diammine platinum complexes. The antitumor activities of these platinum complexes were checked by sensitivity testing with 11 lung cancer cell lines. The novel glucose-platinum complex proved to be comparable to the drug carboplatin.     

To breathe or not to breathe—That is the question: An investigation of speech breathing kinematics in world class Shakespearean actors

Anteroposterior diameter changes of the rib cage and abdomen were recorded during respiratory and speaking activities in four adult subjects, three men and one woman, all of whom had extensive dramatic training and experience and were earning their livelihood as professional actors. Data were charted to solve for lung volume, and volume displacements of the rib cage and abdomen. The more vigorous and louder monologue performances by the professional actor subjects differed from other speaking and reading activities in the following parameters of lung volume, separate volumes, relative volume contributions, and the frequent use of respiratory phase transitions. Novice actor subjects' monologue performances are compared to the monologue performances of the professional actor subjects.     

Nebulization of siRNA for inhalation therapy based on a microfluidic surface acoustic wave platform

The local delivery of therapeutic small interfering RNA or siRNA to the lungs has the potential to improve the prognosis for patients suffering debilitating lung diseases. Recent advances in materials science have been aimed at addressing delivery challenges including biodistribution, bioavailability and cell internalization, but an equally important challenge to overcome is the development of an inhalation device that can deliver the siRNA effectively to the lung, without degrading the therapeutic itself. Here, we report the nebulization of siRNA, either naked siRNA or complexed with polyethyleneimine (PEI) or a commercial transfection agent, using a miniaturizable acoustomicrofluidic nebulization device. The siRNA solution could be nebulised without significant degradation into an aerosol mist with tunable mean aerodynamic diameters of approximately 3 µm, which is appropriate for deep lung deposition via inhalation. The nebulized siRNA was tested for its stability, as well as its toxicity and gene silencing properties using the mammalian lung carcinoma cell line A549, which demonstrated that the gene silencing capability of siRNA is retained after nebulization. This highlights the potential application of the acoustomicrofluidic device for the delivery of efficacious siRNA via inhalation, either for systemic delivery via the alveolar epithelium or local therapeutic delivery to the lung.     

Expression and Characterization of Catalytic Domain of T Cell Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase（△TC-PTP） —— Immunohistochemical Study of △TC-PTP Expression in Non-small Cell Lung Carcinomas

This study objective was to express and characterize the catalytic domain of the human T cell protein tyrosine phosphatase（△TC-PTP） and to study immunohistochemically the expression of △TC-PTP in human non-small cell lung cancers. △TC-PTP gene was PCR amplified with the cDNA of human TC-PTP as template, and cloned into the pT7 expression vector. The recombinant pT7-△TC-PTP was expressed in E. coli Rosetta （ DE3 ） host cells and puri- fied. The enzymatic characteristics of △TC-PTP including enzyme activity and kinetics assay were measured. The antiserum was prepared by immunizing rabbit with the purified recombinant △TC-PTP. Rabbit polyclonal antibody against △TC-PTP was purified by PVDF immobilized antigen affinity chromatography. Immunohistochemical staining of lung cancer tissues was performed with antibody against △TC-PTP protein. △TC-PTP gene was correctly cloned, expressed, and purified. The recombinant △TC-PTP had a highly catalytic activity of PTPase. Squamous cell lung carcinoma showed a significantly higher expression rate of △TC-PTP （76. 92%, 10/13 ） than adenocarcinoma （57.14%, 4/7） and normal lung tissue（20%, 1/5 ）. This study represents the first demonstration that △TC-PTP is highly expressed in human squamous cell lung carcinomas. In addition, this study provides an important basis for further studying the biological function of TC-PTP and its relationship with lung carcinomas and other diseases.