Maximiliano GIRAUD-BILLOUD^1,2,*, Claudio M. FADER^1,3, Rocío AGÜERO², Fernando EZQUER⁴, Marcelo EZQUER⁴

BIOCELL, Vol.42, No.2, pp. 35-40, 2018, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2018.07010

Abstract Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the most frequent cause of chronic renal failure. Until now, the pathophysiological mechanisms that determine its development and progression have not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we evaluate the role of autophagy at early stages of DN, induced in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mouse, and its association with proximal tubule membrane endocytic receptors, megalin and cubilin. In T2DM animals we observed a tubule-interstitial injury with significantly increased levels of urinary GGT and ALP, but an absence of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Kidney proximal tubule cells of T2DM animals showed autophagic… More >

LINGFENG CHEN^1,2,3, ZHIPENG GAO^1,2,3, BAIMEI LIU^1,2,3, YING LV^1,2,3, MEIWEN AN^1,2,3,*, JILING FENG^4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.42, No.1, pp. 25-34, 2018, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2018.06114

Abstract Arterial characterization of healthy descending thoracic aorta (DTA) is indispensable in determining stress distributions across wall thickness and different regions that may be responsible for aorta inhomogeneous dilation, rupture, and dissection when aneurysm occurs. Few studies have shown the inhomogeneity of DTA along the aorta tree considering changes in circumferential direction. The present study aims to clarify the circumferential regional characterization of DTA. Porcine DTA tissues were tested according to region and orientation using uniaxial tension. For axial test, results show that the difference in circumferential direction was mainly in collagen fiber modulus, where the… More >

Bingbing ZHANG^{1, 2}, Ying ZHANG^{1, 2}, Xiaomei ZHANG^{1, 2}, Yonggang LV^{1, 2}

BIOCELL, Vol.42, No.1, pp. 17-24, 2018, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2018.06115

Abstract Mechanical microenvironment can strongly affect the metastatic efficiency of circulating tumor cells. However, the effect of suspension state on their extravasation and the mechanisms involved are still unclear. To explore the influence of suspension state on extravasation (including adhesion, spreading and transendothelial migration) of breast tumor cells and its relevant molecular mechanism, MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured on poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) coated 6-well plates to minic the suspension state. Suspension state promoted adhesion, spreading and transendothelial migration of MDA-MB-231 cells to EAhy926 endothelial cells (ECs) monolayer under both the static condition and 0.5 dyne/cm² flow shear stress More >

Sergio Andrés CARMINATI^1,2, María Carolina BARBOSA², Claudio Marcelo FADER^1,2*

BIOCELL, Vol.42, No.1, pp. 13-16, 2018, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2018.07008

Abstract Autophagy is an essential cellular homeostatic mechanism by which intracellular components are delivered into the lysosomes for degradation and recycling. Autophagy has been related with a diversity of pathological or physiological dentary processes such as bone remodeling, skeletal aging, osteoclastogenesis, osteoblastogenesis and different types of oral cancer. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), isolated from autologous blood, is a plasma preparation containing a higher concentration of platelets which contains numerous different growth factors and cytokines that activate several cellular signaling cascades. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of PRP on autophagy stimulation in both More >

Mahmoud MOUSTAFA^1,2*, Tarek TAHA³, Mohamed ELNOUBY⁴, M.A. ABU-SAIED⁵, Ali SHATI¹, Mohamed AL-KAHTANI¹, Sulaiman ALRUMMAN¹

BIOCELL, Vol.42, No.1, pp. 7-12, 2018, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2018.07002

Abstract Many recent studies are concerned with low cost, easy to handle and alternative renewable energy as a feasible solution for the upcoming crisis of energy shortage. Microalgae are unicellular entities the can only depend on CO2, water and solar power to cover their nutritional needs. The current study is concerned with using algal cells in a polymeric hydrogel, as a cheap source of energy for electricity generation. Chlorella vulgaris has been proved to be a promising algal species for electricity generation, as compared with Micractinium reisseri. PVA hydrogel has been used for the immobilization of both algal… More >

Arwa Osama NEMER¹, Mohammad Saud AL ANAZI², Ramesa Shafi BHAT^1*, Arjumand S. WARSY³, Zeneb A BABAY⁴, Mohammad H. ADDAR⁴, Jilani SHAIK², Sooad AL-DAIHAN¹

BIOCELL, Vol.42, No.1, pp. 1-6, 2018, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2018.07005

Abstract Genomic instability and mutations caused by increases in oxidative stress during pregnancy can damage the fetoplacental unit and can upshot preterm birth. Oxidative damage to DNA may possibly be involved in etiology of preterm birth (PTB) which can be repaired by DNA repair gene. In the present study, we assessed the association of base excision repair gene family by analyzing the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms and genes expression in 8-oxoguanine glycosylase-1 (OGG1) and apurinic-apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) genes with risk of preterm birth in Saudi women. We analyzed genotypes of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1052133,… More >

Xixiang Chen¹, Yu Chen^{2, *}, Kang He², Fernando Palacios Galarza³

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.12, No.4, pp. 299-322, 2018, DOI:doi:10.32604/sdhm.2018.04625

Abstract In order to studythe web-crippling behavior of aluminum hollow section subjected toconcentrated load, sixteen aluminum hollow tubes withdifferent loading conditions, bearing lengthandweb slenderness ratioswere tested. This paperalso discusseda method to improve the web crippling strength of the aluminum hollow sections byinfilling the mortar as composite section, and four aluminum composite sections were tested. The literature has reported lots of web crippling tests, butthere isfew reportson web crippling behavior of aluminum composite sections. Interior-Ground(IG) and End-Ground(EG)loading conditions were adopted, with the specimens placed on the ground to simulate the load of floor joists. Specimens were also… More >

Z. Neffah¹, H. Kahalerras^{1, *}, B. Fersadou¹

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.14, No.1, pp. 39-56, 2018, DOI:10.3970/fdmp.2018.014.039

Abstract A numerical study of heat and mass transfer in a non-Newtonian fluid in a parallel-plate channel partly filled with an anisotropic porous medium and subjected to an exothermic chemical reaction on its walls has been conducted. The flow field in the porous region has been modeled by the modified Brinkman-Forchheimer extended Darcy model for power-law fluids and a finite volume method has been used to solve the governing equations. The influence played by a variation of the anisotropic ratio on thermal conductivity, power-law index, Darcy number, and chemical reaction characteristics has been examined. We show More >

Yanwei Li¹, Yugui Li¹, Peisheng Han¹, Shun Wang¹, Zhengyi Jiang^1,2, Xiaogang Wang^{1, *}

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.117, No.1, pp. 109-123, 2018, DOI:10.31614/cmes.2018.04077

Abstract This study developed a new technology for preparing high-chromium cast iron (HCCI)/low-carbon steel (LCS) wear-resistant composite plates by hot rolling at a 1050 °C and a rolling speed of 0.2 m/s. The effects of different rolling reductions (30%, 45%, and 60%) on the microstructure (interface and HCCI layer) and mechanical properties (bonding strength, hardness, and wear resistance) of the composite plate were studied. SEM images showed that when the reduction was increased, no impurities and interlayers were found between the microscopic interfaces after hot rolling, and the bonding interface exhibited a wave-like shape. EDS analysis… More >

Kun Peng¹, Aike Qiao^1,*, Makoto Ohta², Narendra Kurnia Putra², Xinyang Cui¹, Yongliang Mu³, Hitomi Anzai²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.117, No.1, pp. 17-28, 2018, DOI:10.31614/cmes.2018.04113

Abstract Biodegradable zinc alloy stents are a prospective solution for complications caused by the incompatibility between artery and permanent stents. However, insufficient scaffolding has limited the clinical application of biodegradable zinc alloy stents. Therefore, in this study, a new stent concept was designed to improve the scaffolding. The mechanical performances of the new and a traditional design stent were investigated and compared using finite element analysis (FEA). The new and traditional design stent were expanded to the intended radial displacement of 0.24 mm under the expansion pressure of 0.58 MPa and 0.45 MPa, respectively. Then, a More >