The Bioactive Peptide SL-13R Expands Human Umbilical Cord Blood Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells In Vitro

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) transplantation is a curative treatment of hematological disorders that has been utilized for several decades. Although umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a promising source of HSPCs, the low dose of HSPCs in these preparations limits their use, prompting need for ex vivo HSPC expansion. To establish a more efficient method to expand UCB HSPCs, we developed the bioactive peptide named SL-13R and cultured UCB HSPCs (CD34+ cells) with SL-13R in animal component-free medium containing a cytokine cocktail. Following 9 days of culture with SL-13R, the numbers of total cells, CD34+, CD38− cells, and hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-enriched cells were significantly increased relative to control. Transplantation of cells cultured with SL-13R into immunodeficient NOD/Shi-scid/IL-2Rγ knockout mice confirmed that they possess long-term reconstitution and self-renewal ability. AHNAK, ANXA2, and PLEC all interact with SL-13R. Knockdown of these genes in UCB CD34+ cells resulted in reduced numbers of hematopoietic colonies relative to SL-13R-treated and non-knockdown controls. In summary, we have identified a novel bioactive peptide SL-13R promoting expansion of UCB CD34+ cells with long-term reconstitution and self-renewal ability, suggesting its clinical use in the future.     

An alternative approach for the estimation of equivalent temperature in gas chromatography

The temperature at which the isothermal retention time (tRiso) is equal to the temperature-programmed retention time (tRTPGC) or the isothermal retention index (Iiso) is equal to the temperature-programmed retention index (ITPGC) is defined as the equivalent temperature (Teq). The Teq of one-, two-, three-, and four-step temperature-programmed gas chromatography (TPGC) of unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) from Chinese mustard seed oil is calculated. All of the tR values obtained at the Teq (tRTeq) are very close to the tRTPGC. The highest difference for each chromatogram is less than 0.5%. The slight deviation may partly arrive from the difficulty in setting the desired carrier gas flow rate. Also, good agreement among equivalent chain length values determined by different methods is observed, including the graphical method at the Teq. Therefore, it is speculated that the proposed method may facilitate the GC identification of FAMEs as well as other organic compounds in TPGC by using the available isothermal retention index database.     

Microstructure of the solid phase in fluidized beds for non-Stokes regimes

Experiments on two-dimensional fluidized beds of glass beads are presented for two fluids of typical Reynolds numbers of about 1 and a few hundred. The presence of inertial effects leads to the formation of wakes behind the particles and consequently to an anisotropy of the microstructure. The microstructures, studied by video imaging, are characterized by pair probability distribution functions and structure factors.     

Virtual improvement of ice cream properties by computational homogenization of microstructures

Optimal shape design of microstructured materials has recently attracted a great deal of attention in materials science. The shape and the topology of the microstructure have a significant impact on the macroscopic properties. This paper presents different computational models of random microstructures, to virtually improve the physical properties of ice cream. Several sensory properties of this heterogeneous material issued from food industry are directly controlled by the elastic and thermal conducting ones. The material effective elastic and thermal conducting properties are obtained through direct large scale numerical simulations. The different formulations address the problem of finding the shape of the representative microstructural element for random heterogeneous media that increase the elastic moduli and thermal conductivity compared to existing products. The computational models are established using finite element method and images of virtual microstructures. In this paper we propose a new model of microstructures. This model is constructed with hexagonal prismatic rods and plates with volume fractions around 0.7 for the hard phase represented by hexagons of ice. A comparison between three two-phase elastic heterogeneous microstructures models is drawn. This illustrates the concept of design of microstructures using computational homogenization tools.     

Evaporation heat transfer and flow characteristics of R-134a flowing through internally grooved tubes

This article describes experimental investigations of the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of R-134a flowing inside internally grooved tubes. The test tubes are one smooth tube and four grooved tubes. All test tubes are made from type 304 stainless steel, have an inner diameter of 7.1 mm, are 2,000 mm long and are installed horizontally. The test section is uniformly heated by a DC power supply to create evaporation conditions. The groove depth of all grooved tubes is fixed at 0.2 mm. The experimental conditions are conducted at saturation temperatures of 20, 25 and 30°C, heat fluxes of 5, 10 and 15 kW/m², and mass fluxes of 300, 500 and 700 kg/m² s. The effects of groove pitch, mass flux, heat flux, and saturation temperature on heat transfer coefficient and frictional pressure drop are discussed. The results illustrate that the grooved tubes have a significant effect on the heat transfer coefficient and frictional pressure drop augmentations.     

Potential Application of Gambogic Acid for Retarding Renal Cyst Progression in Polycystic Kidney Disease

Abnormal cell proliferation and accumulation of fluid-filled cysts along the nephrons in polycystic kidney disease (PKD) could lead to a decline in renal function and eventual end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Gambogic acid (GA), a xanthone compound extracted from the brownish resin of the Garcinia hanburyi tree, exhibits various pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammation, antioxidant, anti-proliferation, and anti-cancer activity. However, its effect on inhibiting cell proliferation in PKD is still unknown. This study aimed to determine the pharmacological effects and detailed mechanisms of GA in slowing an in vitro cyst growth model of PKD. The results showed that GA (0.25–2.5 μM) significantly retarded MDCK cyst growth and cyst formation in a dose-dependent manner, without cytotoxicity. Using the BrdU cell proliferation assay, it was found that GA (0.5–2.5 μM) suppressed MDCK and Pkd1 mutant cell proliferation. In addition, GA (0.5–2.5 μM) strongly inhibited phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and S6K expression and upregulated the activation of phosphorylation of AMPK, both in MDCK cells and Pkd1 mutant cells. Taken together, these findings suggested that GA could retard MDCK cyst enlargement, at least in part by inhibiting the cell proliferation pathway. GA could be a natural plant-based drug candidate for ADPKD intervention.     

Molecular interconversion behaviour in comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) is shown to provide information on dynamic molecular behaviour (interconversion), with the interconversion process occurring on both columns in the coupled-column experiment. The experiment requires suitable adjustment of both experimental conditions and relative dimensions of each of the columns. In this case, a longer column than normally employed in GC x GC allows sufficient retention duration on the second column, which permits the typical plateau-shape recognised for the interconversion process to be observed. The extent of interconversion depends on prevailing temperature, retention time, and the phase type. Polyethylene glycol-based phases were found to result in high interconversion kinetics, although terephthalic acid-terminated polyethylene glycol had a lesser extent of interconversion. Much less interconversion was seen for phenyl-methylpolysiloxane and cyclodextrin phases. This suggests that for the oximes, interconversion largely occurs in the stationary phase. Examples of different extents of interconversion in both dimensions are shown, including peak coalescence on the first column with little interconversion on the second column.     

The Comparison of Electrochemical Assay and Agarose Gel Electrophoresis for the Determination of DNA Damage Induced by Kainic Acid

A possible DNA damage after interaction of kainic acid (KA) with calf thymus double stranded DNA and genomic DNA was herein determined in in vitro and in vivo conditions using; electrochemical assay and agarose gel electrophoresis. The changes in guanine signal were detected as an indicator of DNA damage in genomic DNA samples isolated from 1 or 10 mg/kg KA‐treated animals. The decreased levels of guanine signal were found as 29% and 33% by 1 and 10 mg/kg KA treatment when compared to controls, respectively. The results of gel electrophoresis confirmed DNA damage obtained in identical samples by electrochemical method.     

Prediction of gas chromatographic retention times of esters of long chain alcohols and fatty acids

The linear free energy of solution (DeltaG) relationship (DeltaG=DeltaGo+zdeltaG) for compounds of different carbon atoms (z) in the same homologous series is expanded and modified to cover compounds with two different hydrocarbon side chains. The expanded equation is successfully used to predict the retention times (tR) of standard esters of long chain alcohols and fatty acids of different chain lengths in both isothermal and temperature-programmed gas chromatography (TPGC). Approximately 90% of the 125 predicted tR values have a difference of less than 1.00% from the actual tR and the highest difference is 1.26%. Two different temperature gradients in TPGC are tested. The expanded equation can be used to forecast the tR of TPGC with good accuracy. The highest difference is +/-1.40% and +/-1.00% for the temperature gradients of 2 degrees C and 4 degrees C/min, respectively. However, the increments in free energy per carbon atom (zdeltaG) of the alcohol and acid are approximately equal but have slightly different temperature sensitivities. Therefore, it is very difficult to separate esters of different acid and alcohol chain length but with the same total carbon numbers. Furthermore, the difference in temperature sensitivities for the acid and alcohol side chains renders them to be inversely eluted at different temperatures.     

Prediction of gas chromatographic peak width in capillary columns at different temperatures, carrier gas flows, column lengths, inside diameters and carbon numbers

Width factor (wf), relative band broadening (br) and retention factor are linearly correlated as ln wf = Inbr + ln k [Chromatographia (2002) 56, 99 -103]. The k and br are thermodynamic and kinetic energy parameters, and expanded to cover volumetric flow of carrier gas, temperature, phase ratio (beta) and carbon number (z). For columns of the same stationary phase and beta value but of different lengths, width at base (wb) can be predicted with the same numerical values of the constants. The average absolute differences between predicted and experimental wb for BP-1 columns of 30, 20 and 10 m are 1.27%, 1.21% and 1.37%, respectively. In predicting Wb of n-alkanes eluted from columns of the same stationary phase but of different ID, only the differences of ln beta are required for adjustment of one of the numerical values. The average absolute differences between Wb(cal) and Wb(exp) values for columns of 0.53, 0.32, 0.22 and 0.15 mm ID are 2.06, 3.67, 3.82 and 3.47%, respectively.