Cell Density Ratio Research Articles

Tuning cellular structure in a previously developed microcellular acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/thermoplastic polyurethane blend foams

AbstractThis study investigates the cell structure control in 50% thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and 50% acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) blend foam using CO2 as a physical blowing agent, focusing on the effects of variable foaming parameters on the microstructure. Samples measuring 25 × 25 × 1 mm were produced and analyzed for foam structure. The foaming process involved saturating the samples with CO2 gas at pressures of 4, 5.5, and 7 MPa, followed by rapid pressure release and immersion in a hot glycerol bath. The foaming parameters included varied temperatures (80, 90, and 120°C) and times (5–80 s). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis provided data on cell size and density. Results indicated that increasing the saturation pressure enhanced CO2 uptake in the ABS/TPU blend, with the CO2 uptake rate peaking early in the process. Higher foaming temperatures and extended foaming times led to increased cell size, cell density, and expansion ratio. These findings highlight the significant role of process parameters in controlling the cell structure of ABS/TPU blend foams, offering valuable insights into optimizing foam properties for industrial applications.Highlights Optimization of foam parameters leads to cell structure control in ABS/TPU composite foams for industrial applications. Increasing saturation pressure significantly boosts CO2 uptake in ABS/TPU composite foams. Increasing the foaming temperature and duration leads to larger cell sizes, higher cell density, and greater expansion ratios in ABS/TPU composite foams.

Effects of critical structure parameters on conversion performance enhancement of a Pd–Rh dual-carrier catalytic converter for heavy-duty natural gas engines

In this work, the effects of structure parameters on the conversion performance of the dual-carrier catalytic converter for heavy-duty natural gas engines are investigated. A three-dimensional numerical model adopting an empirical global reaction mechanism for the Pd–Rh dual-carrier catalytic converter is established. The results show that the conversion efficiency slightly increase with the increase of the carrier cell density ratio, the maximum conversion efficiency differences of CH4, CO and NO are 5.7 %, 8.3 % and 7.9 %, respectively. When the carrier wall thickness decreases from 0.24 mm to 0.10 mm, the conversion efficiencies of CH4, CO and NO slightly increase, and the maximum differences are 5.5 %, 8.0 % and 8.0 %, respectively. Additionally, the fuzzy grey relational analysis (FGRA) is employed to make a comprehensive evaluation. For the conversion efficiencies of CH4 and NO, the primary and secondary relationships of the influence factors are carrier diameter > carrier length > carrier cell density ratio > carrier wall thickness. The orthogonal experiment analysis indicates that case 7 shows the best total conversion performance (CH4: 91.9 %; CO: 99.7 %; NO: 83.9 %) at 673K. Compared with the baseline case 2, the conversion efficiencies of CH4 and NO are increased by 14 % and 19.9 %, while the volume increased by 36.1 %.

Controlling toxic Microcystis blooms: The power of a novel microalgal predator Poteriospumella lacustris in water safety improvement

Microcystis aeruginosa blooms have become a global environmental concern. In particular, microcystins (MC) produced by algal cells pose a great threat to aquatic ecosystem security and human health. Therefore, it is necessary to develop environmentally friendly biological measures to reduce bloom hazards. In this study, a heterotrophic flagellate, NY1, that could quickly eliminate M. aeruginosa and efficiently remove MC was isolated and identified as Poteriospumella lacustris. When the initial cell density ratio of P. lacustris to M. aeruginosa was 1:200, P. lacustris rapidly ingested M. aeruginosa, and the clearance rates were more than 90 % within 24 h. P. lacustris effectively removed 83.06 % of MC (more than 200 μg/L) in 24 h and 93.88 % in 72 h. Although temperatures lower than 15 °C and acidic conditions (pH 6) slightly and temporarily inhibited the ingestion and MC removal activities of P. lacustris within 24 h of treatment, it rapidly recovered and ingested more than 90 % of M. aeruginosa and eliminated 97 % of MC within 72 h at various temperatures (15–35 °C) and different pH values (pH 6–10). The fluorescence emission-excitation matrix spectra analysis and acute toxicity test showed that P. lacustris treatment reduced dissolved organic matter (DOM) and eliminated the toxicity of M. aerugionsa culture to three representative species at different trophic levels (Photobacterium phosphoreum, Daphnia magna, and Ctenopharyngodon idellus), indicating the promising potential of P. lacustris in improving water safety. In addition to M. aeruginosa, P. lacustris ingested and digested Platymonas subcordiformis, Chlorella vulgaris, and Synechocystis sp. This study provides a natural and biological solution to global Microcystis blooms by using the grazing effect of P. lacustris to remove toxic cyanobacteria and eliminate MC and DOM, ultimately improving water quality and safety.

The Intensity of the Biological Effect and Stress of Extracts of the Aerial Parts of Artemisia herba-alba-on Algae (Klisinema persicum)

Inhibitory impact of Artemisia herba-alba extract on Klisinema persicum growth was investigated. This study looked at the effects of different concentrations of A. herba-alba extracts on the growth and antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase and Catalase) activity of K. persicum in order to determine the optimal dose range for the good anti-algal action. Concentrations were used (2.5,5, 10, 20, 40,80 and 160) mg. L-1 as well as control. Results showed that both crude extracted, alcoholic extract, and aqueous extract of A. herba-alba had an obvious inhibitory effect on K. persicum growth, as such the obtained results demonstrated A. herba-alba crude extracted inhibited algal growth more efficiently than alcoholic extract and aqueous extract of A. herba-alba. This investigation found that a dose of 10 mg. L-1 with above 50% of IR of extracted crude, alcoholic extractand aqueous of A. herba-alba was best, based on changes in algal cell density and inhibitory ratio (IR). Additionally, after 4 days, the extracted A. herba-alba group saw a significant decline in Chlorophyll-a concentration and antioxidant enzymes activity, falling below the detection threshold. Our findings may pave the way for further investigation into the mechanisms underlying inhibitory effects on dangerous algae, which in turn could lead to the creation of novel anti-algal materials.

High infiltration of CD209+ dendritic cells and CD163+ macrophages in the peritumor area of prostate cancer is predictive of late adverse outcomes.

Prostate cancer (PCa) shows considerable variation in clinical outcomes between individuals with similar diseases. The initial host-tumor interaction as assessed by detailed analysis of tumor infiltrating immune cells within the primary tumor may dictate tumor evolution and late clinical outcomes. In this study, we assessed the association between clinical outcomes and dendritic cell (DC) or macrophage (MΦ) tumor infiltration as well as with expression of genes related to their functions. Infiltration and localization of immature DC, mature DC, total MΦ and M2-type MΦ was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 99 radical prostatectomy specimens from patients with 15.5 years median clinical follow-up using antibodies against CD209, CD83, CD68 and CD163, respectively. The density of positive cells for each marker in various tumor areas was determined. In addition, expression of immune genes associated with DC and MΦ was tested in a series of 50 radical prostatectomy specimens by Taqman Low-Density Array with similarly long follow-up. Gene expression was classified as low and high after unsupervised hierarchical clustering. Numbers and ratio of positive cells and levels of gene expression were correlated with endpoints such as biochemical recurrence (BCR), need for definitive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or lethal PCa using Cox regression analyses and/or Kaplan-Meier curves. Positive immune cells were observed in tumor, tumor margin, and normal-like adjacent epithelium areas. CD209+ and CD163+ cells were more abundant at the tumor margin. Higher CD209+/CD83+ cell density ratio at the tumor margin was associated with higher risk of ADT and lethal PCa while higher density of CD163+ cells in the normal-like adjacent epithelium was associated with a higher risk of lethal PCa. A combination of 5 genes expressed at high levels correlated with a shorter survival without ADT and lethal PCa. Among these five genes, expression of IL12A and CD163 was correlated to each other and was associated with shorter survival without BCR and ADT/lethal PCa, respectively. A higher level of infiltration of CD209+ immature DC and CD163+ M2-type MΦ in the peritumor area was associated with late adverse clinical outcomes.

Rapidly synthesized, self-blowing, non-isocyanate polyurethane network foams with reprocessing to bulk networks via hydroxyurethane dynamic chemistry

Polyurethanes are produced from reactions of isocyanates with alcohols and are most commonly made as cross-linked networks to produce foams. Polyhydroxyurethanes (PHUs) are non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) materials with promising potential as benign alternatives to isocyanate-based polyurethanes. We have developed a rheology-guided, rapid preparation of reprocessable self-blowing PHU foams by decoupling the aminolysis and thiol-decarboxylation of cyclic carbonates, allowing for dramatic reduction of reaction times from 20 h to 30 min to achieve foams without sacrificing morphological and physical properties. We studied the structure–property relationships in network PHU foams by systematically varying the thiol concentrations and demonstrated highly tunable morphological properties, including cell density, cell diameter, and open-cell ratio, and mechanical properties associated with semi-rigid and flexible foams. To address the sustainability challenges of network foams, the dynamic covalent PHU foams were melt-reprocessed into bulk films with full recovery of cross-link density. We further found that the relative modulus–relative density relationship of our foams obeys the cubic cell model proposed by Gibson and Ashby, which was applied to predict and tailor properties of new PHU foams. This study highlights the design and rapid synthesis of highly tunable and dynamic PHU foams with promising sustainability aspects.

Staying below the Radar: Unraveling a New Family of Ubiquitous "Cryptic" Non-Tailed Temperate Vibriophages and Implications for Their Bacterial Hosts.

Bacteriophages are the most abundant biological entities in the oceans and play key roles in bacterial activity, diversity and evolution. While extensive research has been conducted on the role of tailed viruses (Class: Caudoviricetes), very little is known about the distribution and functions of the non-tailed viruses (Class: Tectiliviricetes). The recent discovery of the lytic Autolykiviridae family demonstrated the potential importance of this structural lineage, emphasizing the need for further exploration of the role of this group of marine viruses. Here, we report the novel family of temperate phages under the class of Tectiliviricetes, which we propose to name "Asemoviridae" with phage NO16 as a main representative. These phages are widely distributed across geographical regions and isolation sources and found inside the genomes of at least 30 species of Vibrio, in addition to the original V. anguillarum isolation host. Genomic analysis identified dif-like sites, suggesting that NO16 prophages recombine with the bacterial genome based on the XerCD site-specific recombination mechanism. The interactions between the NO16 phage and its V. anguillarum host were linked to cell density and phage-host ratio. High cell density and low phage predation levels were shown to favor the temperate over the lytic lifestyle for NO16 viruses, and their spontaneous induction rate was highly variable between different V. anguillarum lysogenic strains. NO16 prophages coexist with the V. anguillarum host in a mutualistic interaction by rendering fitness properties to the host, such as increased virulence and biofilm formation through lysogenic conversion, likely contributing to their global distribution.

Detection of Calreticulin as a Candidate Prognostic Biomarker in Invasive Breast Carcinoma from a Biological Scaffold-Based 3D Co-culture System

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the world’s second leading cause of death in women, after lung cancer. Calreticulin (CRT), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) multipurpose protein, has been proposed as a potential biomarker for breast cancer. However, reports on the correlation between CRT expression and cell invasiveness in breast cancer micro-tissues are scarce. Thus, in the current study, we analyzed the potential correlation between CRT and invasiveness of breast cancer in a biological scaffold-based 3D co-culture system. Methods: MCF7, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-10A breast cell lines were co-cultured in a 3-dimensional (3D) system with MRC-5 lung fibroblast cell line in the cell density ratio of 3:1. Thereafter, calreticulin gene and protein expression levels were determined based on quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Moreover, via RT-qPCR analysis, the gene expression levels of calreticulin-related candidate metastasis genes in breast cancer micro-tissues were carried out. Results: The results showed occasional foci of lumen-like morphology in the non-cancerous breast micro-tissues and the formation of solid clusters for breast cancer micro-tissues. Moreover, immunohistochemistry results revealed protein expression of calreticulin in non-cancerous and cancerous breast micro-tissues with cytoplasmic and nucleic acid localizations. It was found that PCMT1 and ER-α genes were significantly downregulated (p < 0.01) in invasive breast cancer micro-tissues. Conclusion: This study suggests that CRT and CRT-related candidate metastasis genes may potentially serve as prognostic biomarkers in invasive breast carcinoma.

Interspecific competition between the bloom-causing dinoflagellates Hetrocapsa bohaiensis and the local species Chlorella pyrenoidosa

Harmful algal blooms caused by Heterocapsa bohaiensis have broken out in aquaculture areas near Liaodong Bay, China, since 2012, resulting in mass mortality of Eriocheir sinensis larvae and substantial economic loss. Chlorella pyrenoidosa is a local phytoplankton species that is found in aquaculture ponds. However, the reason why H. bohaiensis dominated and proliferated in the phytoplankton community remains unknown. Previous studies have revealed the toxicity and hemolytic activity of H. bohaiensis. It is suspected that the out-competition of H. bohaiensis to C. pyrenoidosa was associated with toxicity. Filtrate and bi-algal cultures were investigated to determine the interspecific competition between H. bohaiensis and C. pyrenoidosa in this study. Filtrate experiments revealed that H. bohaiensis showed no toxin allelopathy in C. pyrenoidosa. However, the C. pyrenoidosa filtrates had significant allelopathic effects on the growth of H. bohaiensis. The bi-algal culture experiments and the simulation showed that the dominant species were dependent on the initial cell density ratios of the species and nutrient ratios. Therefore, H. bohaiensis achieved competitive advantage through exploitation competition but not allelopathy. The results contribute to the reasons for the occurrence of H. bohaiensis blooms in a further study.

Super-strong polyphenylene oxide/polyphenylene sulfide blend foam fabricated by constructing highly oriented crystalline structure

Developing high-performance polymer foams is essential for aerospace applications in harsh conditions. Super-strong polyphenylene oxide/polyphenylene sulfide (PPO/PPS) blend foams were fabricated via establishing a combined solid-phase drawing/sc-CO2 batch foaming method to construct an oriented crystalline structure. The incorporation of poly(styrene-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (SG) improved interfacial compatibility between PPO/PPS phase, and the stretchability of the blend was enhanced. Under appropriate draw ratio (DR) and PPS content, a relatively high dissolved CO2 amount resulted in increased cell size, cell density and expansion ratio, while the cell structure was oriented along drawing direction, and fibrillar structures formed and entangled on cell walls. Increasing DR and forming more PPS crystals facilitated the retention of orientation structure, and for oriented foam with 200% DR, the strength and modulus increased by 86% and 140%, respectively compared with isotropic foam. The dense cell structure and oriented fibrillar structure contributed to significantly improved mechanical strength for PPO/SG/PPS foams.

Abstract 2526: Immune infiltrates in Kita-Kyushu lung cancer antigen 1 (KK-LC-1) expressing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients

Abstract Introduction: KK-LC-1 is a cancer testis antigen expressed notably in lung, breast, and gastric cancer making it an attractive target for T-cell receptor therapy. Here, we evaluate cell densities of NSCLC tissue specimens with known KK-LC-1 gene expression to better characterize the tumor immune microenvironment in such patients. Methods: A seven-plex mIF panel (FoxP3, PDL1, PanCK, PD1, CD8, KK-LC-1, and CD68) was developed based on a previously established mIF Lung-cancer panel and addition of KK-LC-1 following rigorous optimization of KK-LC-1 antibody titer and panel order with qualitative assessment of monoplex immunofluorescent assays. Serial sections from 23 NSCLC cases (14 biopsy samples and 9 excision specimens) with known KK-LC-1 gene expression values were collected. Tissue sections were stained and imaged on an Akoya Biosciences Vectra Polaris multispectral imaging platform. The regions of interest were identified and stamped with the Phenochart mIF image management software. Spectral unmixing, tissue segmentation and cell phenotyping were performed with Akoya Biosciences InForm image analysis software using the multispectral fields workflow. The 4-tier positive staining thresholds for PD-L1 and KK-LC-1 were determined by a pathologist (WDW). Cell densities in the tumor and adjacent stroma as well as the KK-LC-1 H-score were assessed by linear regression analysis. Student’s t-test was used to compare between the top quartile of tumors based on KK-LC-1 gene expression (Q4) and the remaining 3 quartiles (Q1-Q3). Results: The study consisted of 17/23 adenocarcinoma (73.9%), 4/23 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (17.3%), and 2/23 (8.6%) unclear or mixed histology tumors. Adenocarcinoma trended to have higher KK-LC-1 gene expression compared to SCC tumors (mean 17.34 vs. 0.65, p-value = 0.204). 13/23 (56.5%) were pan-wild type, 6/23 (26.0%) were EGFR mutated, 2/23 (8.7%) were KRAS mutated, and 1/23 (4.4%) were MET Exon 14 skip and multiple alterations. We saw significantly higher cell density of FoxP3 in tumor cells in Q4 versus Q1-Q3 (mean 7.17 vs. 0.8 cells/mm2, p-value = 0.004), and there was a trend towards a higher FoxP3/CD8 cell density ratio (mean 3.28 vs. 0.05, p = .110) and higher PD-1 cell density (mean 186.7 vs. 32.8 cells/mm2, p=0.1548) in tumor cells in Q4 versus Q1-Q3. There was significant correlation towards increased CD8+ T cell density ratio between tumor and stroma cells in cases with higher KK-LC-1 gene expression (r2= 0.307, p = 0.011). Conclusion: KK-LC-1 expression in lung cancer is seen in multiple molecular subsets and is associated with increase in both regulatory T cells in tumor and in CD8+ T-cells in tumor relative to stroma. Strategies to deplete regulatory T cells and to further amplify CD8+ T cells should be pursued in the development of T-cell receptor therapy targeting KK-LC-1. Citation Format: Ainaz Dory Barkhordarzadeh, Robert C. Hsu, Rongfu Wang, Sue E. Martin, Jorge J. Nieva, William Dean Wallace. Immune infiltrates in Kita-Kyushu lung cancer antigen 1 (KK-LC-1) expressing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2526.

Cell throughput contribution rate based sleep control algorithm for energy efficiency in 5G heterogeneous networks

SummaryHeterogeneous networks (HetNets) have been a trending topic of interest for researchers in 5G technology. A HetNet structure comprises a macro cell network assisted by small cell networks such as pico cells and femto cells. This additional hardware ensures distribution of the user equipment (UE) load of the main base station (MBS) at the cost of a surge in the overall system power consumption. Optimized power consumption coupled with enhanced cell throughput by dynamic small cell ON/OFF strategy improves the energy efficiency (EE) in dense HetNets. This paper proposes two algorithms to switch the small cell ON/OFF based on cell throughput contribution rate (CTCR). CTCR is the ratio of actual cell throughput to the maximum cell throughput with full utilization of the allotted bandwidth. In the first method, the threshold to decide small cell ON/OFF has been carefully defined considering two important factors—the MBS‐SBS distance and the ratio of small cell density to UE density such that less loaded small cells that are closer to the MBS are the candidates chosen for sleep mode. In the second method, a correction factor in the computation of CTCR is introduced. It is a logarithmic function of the relative distance of the small base station (SBS) to the radius of macro cell coverage. This steps up the threshold for SBS that are close to MBS. They are more suitable sleep state candidates as their UEs can be served directly by the MBS and enable large user throughput. Simulation results show that the EE of the proposed amended CTCR method is 8% more than proposed CTCR method and 30.66% better relative to conventional load‐based sleep control method.

Multidimensional profiling depicts infiltrating immune cell heterogeneity in the tumor microenvironment of stage IA non-small cell lung cancer.

BackgroundEmerging evidence has underscored infiltrating immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Owing to screening programs, the prevalence of early‐stage NSCLC is growing, but its high recurrence risk and poor survival impose an increasing demand for further understanding the TME.MethodsTissue and plasma samples from 33 resectable stage IA NSCLC patients were collected from the surgery and subject to histological and genomic analyses. The distribution of CD8+ T cells, tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs, M1 polarization and M2 polarization), and natural killer (NK) cells (CD56dim and CD56bright) was analyzed. The impact of clinical characteristics and immunotherapy‐related biomarkers on immune cell infiltration were also investigated.ResultsUsing multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC), we found a significantly higher M1 polarization proportion of total TAMs in tumor parenchyma than in other tissues, while other immune cells remained stable. Patients under 50 showed higher infiltrating CD8+ T cell density and M1 ratio in tumor tissues. Tumors carrying RAS‐MAPK mutations were associated with significantly increased infiltration of CD8+ T cells. We also identified significantly higher infiltration of CD8+ T cells and enrichment of CD56bright NK cells in high tumor mutation burden (TMB) and high programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) samples, respectively.ConclusionsOur study highlighted the heterogeneity and dynamics of infiltrating immune cells in stage IA NSCLC TME, featured by M1 TAM enrichment in tumor parenchyma. Age, driver mutation type, TMB, and PD‐L1 level were found to associate with immune cell infiltration in the TME, shedding light on immunotherapy development.

The Prognostic Value of FoxP3+ Tumour-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Rectal Cancer Depends on Immune Phenotypes Defined by CD8+ Cytotoxic T Cell Density.

Tumour-infiltrating FoxP3+ regulatory T cells have been identified as both positive and negative prognostic factors in colorectal cancer (CRC) and rectal cancer (RC). In this study we investigated whether immune phenotypes, defined by CD8+ cytotoxic T cell density, may influence the prognostic association of FoxP3+ T cell densities in RC. Tissue microarrays from 154 rectal cancer resections were immunohistochemically double stained for CD8 and FoxP3. CD8+ and FoxP3+ cell densities were measured in the stromal and intraepithelial compartment. Stromal FoxP3+ cell densities were not associated with 10-year overall survival (OS). In the “immune-desert” phenotype, defined by very low stromal CD8+ cell density, a high density of stromal FoxP3+ T cells displayed a tendency towards an association with decreased 10-year OS (p = 0.179). In “inflamed” tumours, defined by high intraepithelial CD8+ T cell infiltration, the opposite was the case and high stromal FoxP3+ T cell densities were a positive prognostic factor (p = 0.048). Additionally, patients with an increased FoxP3/CD8 cell density ratio demonstrated a strong trend towards decreased 10-year OS (p = 0.066). These contrasting findings suggest functional heterogeneity within the group of FoxP3+ T cells. They are consistent with experimental studies which reported suppressive and non-suppressive populations of FoxP3+ T cells in CRC. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that CD8 immunohistochemistry may act as an instrument to identify tumours infiltrated by possibly functionally differing FoxP3+ T cell subtypes.

Resveratrol nanoparticles reduce retinal ganglion cell loss in glaucoma

AbstractPurposeResveratrol is a natural polyphenol found in red wine and dark chocolate known for its antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory and anti‐apoptotic properties. All these properties can be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as glaucoma. To date, resveratrol low solubility in water and bioavailability limits its clinical use. The goal of this study was to develop a novel nanoparticle formulation of resveratrol and to assess it in an ocular hypertension (OHT) rat model of glaucoma.MethodsResveratrol nanoparticles (RNs) were formulated using a thin film rehydration technique. OHT rat model was induced with the injection of 1.85 M normal saline solution in two episcleral veins of the left eye of 10 Dark Agouti rats. The right eye was used as an internal control. RNs (n = 5) or vehicle (n = 5) were given topically as an eye drop daily for 3 weeks from induction. After 3 weeks, rats were imaged with the Detection of Apoptosing Retinal Cell (DARC) technology. DARC count was defined as the number of apoptosing retinal cells counted by a masked investigator. Next, all rats were sacrificed, and their retinas immunostained with Brn3a antibody. Retinal Ganglion Cell (RGC) density ratio was defined as the ratio between the left treated and the right untreated eye (control).ResultsRNs were formulated with an encapsulation efficiency >70% and a stability >90 days. They were well‐tolerated without any sign of ocular irritation and neuroprotective in the OHT glaucoma model as evidenced by the reduction of RGC apoptosis compared to the vehicle (1.02 ± 0.05 vs 0.70 ± 0.11 RGC density ratio, p < 0.05). RNs did not reduce the Intraocular Pressure (IOP) suggesting that their effect was independent from IOP modulation. However, RNs were not able to reduce significantly DARC count compared to the vehicle (493 ± 83 vs 612 ± 84 DARC count, p > 0.05).ConclusionsThese promising results show that topical administration of RNs is neuroprotective in an OHT glaucoma rat model by reducing significantly RGC apoptosis. DARC count reduction is not significant owing to the low number of animals used. Therefore, bigger studies are needed to confirm these encouraging results.

Co-cultivation of Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Aurantiochytrium limacinum for polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids production

Marine protist Aurantiochytrium limacinum produces docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as main polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and lacks any monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), while eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and MUFA’s are produced by Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The marine diatom P. tricornutum was co-cultured with A.limacinum to match the EPA:DHA ratio of fish oil. Modulation in initial cell density ratio overcame the dominance of A.limacinum during co-cultivation and led to regulated proliferation of both species. Media engineering with nitrate and glycerol concentration yielded 2:1 (56.44: 30.11) mg g−1 and 1:1 (47.43: 49.61) mg g−1 EPA: DHA ratio. The oil and biomass obtained from co-cultivation comprised of MUFA’s such as palmitoleic acid (2.65 mg g−1) and oleic acid (1.25 mg g−1) along with pigments like fucoxanthin (367.18 µg g−1), β-carotene (8.98 µg g−1) and astaxanthin (0.77 µg g−1). Thus, co-cultivation of P. tricornutum with A. limacinum represented a unique strategy towards achieving desired fatty acid composition.

Formation mechanism of bi-modal cell structure polystyrene foams by synergistic effect of CO2-philic additive and co-blowing agent

A new method was developed for the formation of bi-modal cell structure polystyrene (PS) foams by synergistic effect of CO2-philic additive (PDMS) and co-blowing agent (alcohol). The results showed that PDMS and alcohol synergistically increased the solubility and diffusion coefficient of CO2 into PS and reduced the desorption rate from PS. The blowing agent formed a high-concentration area in the PDMS (6000 g/mol) phase to promote bubble nucleation and growth in advance. The moderate size and number of cells were pre-formed, slowing the CO2 desorption and increasing the duration of bubble growth, so that bi-modal cell structure PS foams with high cell density and volume expansion ratio were obtained. Moreover, the solution and diffusion behavior of CO2 and the cell morphology could be easily tuned by changing the composition of complex additives, which might be a promising strategy for preparing bi-modal cell structure in different foaming processes.

Effects of temperature and initial cell density ratio on growth and competition between Navicula pelliculosa and Chlorella vulgaris

Effects of temperature and initial cell density ratio on growth and competition between Navicula pelliculosa and Chlorella vulgaris

EVALUATION OF THE CORNEA ENDOTEL BY SPECULAR MICROSCOPY IN PERSODOEXFOLIATION SYNDROME

Purpose: The evaluation of the corneal endothelium of patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PES) by specular microscopy (SM). Method: In this prospective study, two groups were formed. In our study, the right eye of 50 patients diagnosed with pseudoexfoliation material by slit lamp biomicroscopy performed in the ophthalmology outpatient clinic and the right eye of 50 control groups without any health problems were included. Results: There was no difference between the control and patient groups in terms of gender and age distribution. (p >0.005). Statistically, no difference was found between the groups in corneal thickness (p =0,105). However, coefficient of variation, corneal endothelial cell density and hexagonal cell ratio were found to be statistically significantly in the between the two groups. Discussion: Serious morphological changes occur in the corneal endothelium in patients with PES. Because of these changes in the corneal endothelium, specular microscopy measurement should be done before cataract surgery of all patients who have pes detected in their examination.

Physico-mechanical properties and cell microstructure of cross-linked PVC/organoclay nanocomposite foams prepared at various processing conditions

Cross-linked polyvinyl chloride (C-PVC) foams and their nanocomposite foams, containing Cloisite 30B nanoclays were prepared. The effects of compression molding pressure and time on the morphology and mechanical properties of different foams were studied. Increment of molding pressure led to higher apparent density, gel content, cell density, and expansion ratio, and wider cell size distribution, which improved the mechanical properties of the foams. Additionally, with the increasing of molding time, lower cell density and final expansion ratio, narrower cell size distribution, and higher gel content and mechanical properties could be obtained. Moreover, incorporation of Cloisite 30B nanoclay in a PVC matrix not only improved cellular microstructure and mechanical properties but also reduced water uptake ratios of nanocomposite foams.