Fabrication and characterization of 3D scaffold using 3D plotting system

In this paper, we design and fabricate a 3D scaffold using rapid prototyping (RP) technology for tissue engineering. The scaffold should have a three-dimensional interconnected pore network. We fabricate a polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold with interconnecting pores and uniform porosity for cell ingrowth using a 3D plotting system. In order to keep the three dimensional shape under mechanical loading while implanted, we design an oscillating nozzle system to increase elastic modulus and yield strength of PCL ...     

Some new data concerning effect of actinomycin D on early chick embryos

Zusammenfassung Actinomycin D führte beim Hühnerembryo zu einer deutlichen Hemmung der Herzentwicklung nach Inkubation im Nährmedium während der Entwicklungsstadien 3 und 3⁺. Nach Vorbehandlung der Stadien 3–7 und anschliessender Kultur in actinomycin D-freiem Medium fanden sich Fehlbildungen von Herz, ZNS und Somiten, die in ihrer Häufigkeit von den betroffenen Entwicklungsphasen abhängig sind.

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This study was supported by a grant from the Rutgers University Research Council No. 07-2189.     

Histone hydrolase in tadpole liver

Résumé Le cytoplasme du foie de têtard contient une enzyme qui hydrolyse spécifiquement les protéines basiques telle que la polylysine, la protamine et les histones. L'addition d'autres protéines telles que l'albumine, la globuline et l'acide polyglutamique inhibe l'activité de cette enzyme. Les résultats obtenus montrent que cette hydrolysase extraite du foie de têtard diffère des cathépsines ou de l'histone-hydrolase du rein de rat.

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This work was supported by research grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases No. AM 09602, National Science Foundation No. GB-22663 and from the National Cancer Institute No. CA 07174.     

Urocortin-deficient mice show hearing impairment and increased anxiety-like behavior

Urocortin is a member of the corticotropin-releasing hormone peptide family and is found in many discrete brain regions. The distinct expression pattern of urocortin suggests that it influences such behaviors as feeding, anxiety and auditory processing. To better define the physiological roles of urocortin, we have generated mice carrying a null mutation of the urocortin gene. Urocortin-deficient mice have normal basal feeding behavior and stress responses, but show heightened anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated plus maze and open-field tests. In addition, hearing is impaired in the mutant mice at the level of the inner ear, suggesting that urocortin is involved in the normal development of cochlear sensory-cell function. These results provide the first example of a function for any peptidergic system in hearing.     

Disruption of Cnp1 uncouples oligodendroglial functions in axonal support and myelination

Myelination of axons by oligodendrocytes enables rapid impulse propagation in the central nervous system. But long-term interactions between axons and their myelin sheaths are poorly understood. Here we show that Cnp1, which encodes 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in oligodendrocytes, is essential for axonal survival but not for myelin assembly. In the absence of glial cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, mice developed axonal swellings and neurodegeneration throughout the brain, leading to hydrocephalus and premature death. But, in contrast to previously studied myelin mutants, the ultrastructure, periodicity and physical stability of myelin were not altered in these mice. Genetically, the chief function of glia in supporting axonal integrity can thus be completely uncoupled from its function in maintaining compact myelin. Oligodendrocyte dysfunction, such as that in multiple sclerosis lesions, may suffice to cause secondary axonal loss.     

Systematic variation in gene expression patterns in human cancer cell lines

We used cDNA microarrays to explore the variation in expression of approximately 8,000 unique genes among the 60 cell lines used in the National Cancer Institute's screen for anti-cancer drugs. Classification of the cell lines based solely on the observed patterns of gene expression revealed a correspondence to the ostensible origins of the tumours from which the cell lines were derived. The consistent relationship between the gene expression patterns and the tissue of origin allowed us to recognize outliers whose previous classification appeared incorrect. Specific features of the gene expression patterns appeared to be related to physiological properties of the cell lines, such as their doubling time in culture, drug metabolism or the interferon response. Comparison of gene expression patterns in the cell lines to those observed in normal breast tissue or in breast tumour specimens revealed features of the expression patterns in the tumours that had recognizable counterparts in specific cell lines, reflecting the tumour, stromal and inflammatory components of the tumour tissue. These results provided a novel molecular characterization of this important group of human cell lines and their relationships to tumours in vivo.