Pablo Ramon Gualberto Cardoso¹, Emerson Vasconcelos de Andrade Lima^1,2, Mariana Modesto de Andrade Lima¹, Moacyr Jesus Barreto de Melo Rêgo², Claudia Diniz Lopes Marques², Ivan da Rocha Pitta¹, Angela Luzia Branco Pinto Duarte¹, Maira Galdino da Rocha Pitta¹

European Cytokine Network, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 1-5, 2016, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2016.0371

Abstract Objective and Design: Psoriasis is a common, enigmatic, and recurrent disease. The precise etiology and pathogenesis of psoriasis are still unclear. Psoriasis has been treated as an inflammatory disorder related to an underlying Th1/Th17-dominated immune response. Interleukins are involved in the development of psoriasis lesions through Th-17-associated inflammation. Th1 and Th17 cytokines are found in skin lesions and in the peripheral blood of psoriasis patients. We sought to analyze serum levels of IL-1-β, IL-8, IL-9, IL-27, IL-29, IL-35, IFN-γ, TNF and TGF-β in patients with psoriasis and healthy control volunteers. Material: Blood samples were collected More >

Ping Zhao^*, Hai-Tao Guan^†, Zhi-Jun Dai^†, Yu-Guang Ma^†, Xiao-Xu Liu^†, Xi-Jing Wang^†

Oncology Research, Vol.24, No.6, pp. 437-445, 2016, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14685034103554

Abstract Sparc/osteonectin, cwcv, and kazal-like domains proteoglycan (testican) 1 (SPOCK1), known as testican-1, were found to be involved in the development and progression of tumors. However, in colorectal cancer (CRC), the expression pattern of SPOCK1 and its functional role remain poorly investigated. In the present study, we explored the role of SPOCK1 in CRC. Our results demonstrated that SPOCK1 is overexpressed in CRC cell lines. SPOCK1 silencing significantly inhibited the proliferation in vitro and the tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, SPOCK1 silencing significantly attenuated the migration/invasion by reversing the EMT process in CRC cells. Finally, knockdown More >

Hassan AMA, EM Mostafa

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.85, pp. 262-269, 2016, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2016.85.262

Abstract Plants of Azolla caroliniana were treated with different selenium concentrations (0, 1, 2, 5, 7, 10 ppm) for seven days. Selenium (Se) content in Azolla plants increased significantly with increasing Se concentrations in the culture media up to 5 ppm. This indicated that Azolla plants were a good accumulator for Se. Selenium accumulation determined changes in Azolla biomass, doubling time and relative growth rates. Treatment of Azolla plants with low concentrations of Se (1 ppm) resulted in a significant increase in biomass. This was accompanied by a reduction in hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents; the decrease percentages… More >

Gul B¹, M Islam², S Ahmad³, S Gul¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.85, pp. 94-99, 2016, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2016.85.094

Abstract Spatial and temporal patterns of aboveground biomass and nutritive value of rangeland species with respect to the influence of grazing and soil moisture were investigated. The research was conducted during two years at the Tomagh Research Station, near Sanjawi, Ziarat District, Balochistan, Pakistan. This area is protected from grazing since 1998; however, some of the area is open for grazing. Three sites were selected for research purposes: a protected plain, a protected hilly, and an unprotected plain grazed area. Sampling was carried out during the spring, summer and autumn seasons. Results revealed that soil moisture More >

Ramin Behzadigohar, Mark A. Rosenthal, Ben Tran

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.22, No.3, pp. 7824-7826, 2015

Abstract We report a case of an 82-year-old man with renal cell carcinoma who developed a cardiac metastasis within the interventricular septum. He had been under watchful waiting for indolent metastatic renal cell carcinoma for many years before developing symptoms consistent with heart failure. At this time, a 44 mm interventricular septal mass, consistent with a cardiac metastasis, was identified as the cause of his symptoms. Pazopanib was initiated which led to both a clinical and radiological response. More >

Raquel Fernández^*, Connie Ocando, Susana C. M. Fernandes, Arantxa Eceiza, Agnieszka Tercjak

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.3, No.1, pp. 49-55, 2015, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2014.634134

Abstract The main goal of this work was the development of photoactive multilayer fi lms. Taking into account that chitosan is a biodegradable, biocompatible, nontoxic, and antibacterial biopolymer, the fabrication of chitosanbased multilayer fi lms can be an interesting pathway to obtain biopolymer-based fi lms in which properties can be combined with a light-responsive material, such as an azobenzene-containing polymer. In particular, the layer-by-layer technique was used for the fabrication of the optically active fi lms consisting of alternating layers of chitosan and an azopolymer. The infl uence of the pH and the number of bilayers More >

Kröpfl AI¹, VA Deregibus², GA Cecchi³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.84, No.2, pp. 390-396, 2015, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2015.84.390

Abstract We developed a functional model for a shrub steppe vegetation of the eastern Monte Phytogeographical Province in Río Negro (Argentina) with six stable states and 12 transitions, based on the woody encroachment degree, characteristics of the herbaceous layer and the soil surface, and biological crust cover. Information was obtained from letters of naturalists and travelers along the region since the late eighteenth century, reports of old settlers, and our own research work. On the Monte, different functional groups can be distinguished. Our work focused on the three most conspicuous to analyze the dynamics of the… More >

Rubim MAL¹, PR Isolino Sampaio¹, P Parolin^2,3

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.84, No.1, pp. 244-251, 2015, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2015.84.244

Abstract Fish is a very important part of the human diet in Amazonia. Near the growing cities, fish populations and individual size have decreased over the past decades. Alternatives to traditional and industrial fishing arise, including fish farming. Strategies to minimize the impact of fish farms on the environment are needed to have a regular and healthy fish supply. This is to avoid a reduction of biodiversity, a depletion of natural resources, and/or the induction of significant changes in the structure and functioning of adjacent ecosystems. Very little research has been performed on management of effluents… More >

Hu FL^1,2, B Liu^1,3, ZM Liu^1,3, YT Fang^1,3, CA Busso⁴

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.84, No.1, pp. 209-221, 2015, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2015.84.209

Abstract Grasslands are one of the most widespread landscapes worldwide, covering approximately one-fifth of the world’s land surface, where grazing is a common practice. How carbon storage responds to grazing in steppes remains poorly understood. We quantified the effects of grazing on community composition and species diversity, and carbon storage in two typical grasslands of northeastern China, one in Horqin and the other one in Hulunbeier. In both grasslands, grazing did not influence plant species diversity. However, it substantially decreased aboveground carbon by 31% and 54% in Horqin and Hulunbeier, respectively. Fenced and grazing treatments showed More >

R. Rongo^1,2, D. D’Ambrosio^1,2, G. Iovine^2,3, F. Lucà⁴, V. Lupiano⁵, V.P.Boñgolan⁶, W. Spataro^1,2

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.109-110, No.2, pp. 105-130, 2015, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2015.109.105

Abstract Determining sectors that could be affected by lava flows in volcanic areas is essential for risk mitigation purposes. Traditionally, when adopting methods based on probabilistic numerical simulations, the hazard is assessed by analysing a huge set of simulations of hypothetical events, each characterized by a distinct probability of occurrence based on statistics of historical events. If lateral or eccentric eruptions are also taken into account, simulated lava flows usually start from the nodes of regular grids of potential vents, uniformly covering the study area. In this study, an alternative approach to evaluate flow-type hazard, based More >