RAFAEL MORENO-GÓMEZ-TOLEDANO^1,*, MARíA I. ARENAS², ESPERANZA VÉLEZ-VÉLEZ³, RICARDO J. BOSCH¹

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.2, pp. 305-308, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.017894 - 20 October 2021

Abstract Bisphenol A (BPA) is a xenoestrogen known for its implications for the endocrine systems and several other organs, including the kidneys. Recent renal studies have shown that BPA can induce alterations of the cytoskeleton and cell adhesion mechanisms such as a podocytopathy with proteinuria and hypertension, alterations involved in the progression of renal diseases. These data and the fact that BPA is known to be present in the urine of almost the entire population strongly suggest the critical need to reevaluate BPA exposures considered safe. More >

Çağrı Öner^1,* and Ertuğrul Çolak²

Oncologie, Vol.23, No.3, pp. 393-407, 2021, DOI:10.32604/Oncologie.2021.016958 - 26 September 2021

Abstract piRNAs are novel members of small non-coding RNAs and have an impact on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of cells. It was aimed to investigate the role of piR-651 on MCF-7 benign breast cancer cells by focusing on molecular characteristics. Anti-piR-651 was transfected and effects of piR-651 on proliferation, adhesion, and motility of MCF-7 cells were detected after the 24th, 48th, and 72nd hour. Gene expressions of piR-651, Ki-67, MMP-2, ERα, HIF-1α, and hTERT were determined by using RT-PCR. piR-651 inhibition caused the decrease of proliferation, adhesion (p < 0.001), and motility of MCF-7 cells. The efficiency… More >

LORENZO ALIBARDI¹, BERND NOECKER²

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.4, pp. 1013-1022, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.013913 - 22 April 2021

Abstract The differentiation of cells composing mature human hairs produces layers with different corneous characteristics that would tend to flake away one from another, as in the corneous layer of the epidermis, without anchoring junctions. It is likely that cell junctions established in the forming cells of the hair bulb are not completely degraded like in the corneous layer of the epidermis but instead remain in the hair shaft to bind mature cuticle, cortex, and medulla cells into a compact hair shaft. During cell differentiation in hairs, cell junctions seem to disappear, and little is known… More >

Yongping Yu¹, Lihui Chen¹, Juanjuan Wang¹, Guoji Liu^2,*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.125, No.2, pp. 647-670, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2020.011067 - 12 October 2020

Abstract The tower line system will be in an unsafe status due to uniform or uneven fall of ice coating which is attached to the surface of tower and lines. The fall of ice could be caused by wind action or thermal force. In order to study the dynamic characteristics of the self-failure of the transmission line under the action of dynamic wind load, a finite element model of the two-span transmission tower line system was established. The birth and death element methods are used to simulate the icing and shedding of the line. Tensile failure… More >

Ningning Wang¹, Caili Zhang^1,2,*, Wenqin Zhu³, Yunxuan Weng^1,2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.9, pp. 1139-1149, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.09961 - 03 August 2020

Abstract To clarify the effects of lignin as a biodegradable filler added into the PLA matrix, PLA/lignin composites with or without silane coupling agent of γ- (2,3-epoxypropoxy)propy trimethoxysilane (KH560) were prepared by a one-step solvent-free modification method. The effects of KH560 as a compatibilizer on the morphology, chemical structure, crystallization behavior, thermal degradative behavior as well as mechanical strength of the PLA/lignin composites were analyzed in detail. It was found that, after modification by KH560, the fractured surfaces of composites became smooth, suggested sufficient bonding between the lignin and PLA in the composites with KH560 coupling… More >

KHAWAR ALI SHAHZAD^1,2,#, ZHONGJIE QIN^3,4,#, YAN LI^1,2,*, DELIN XIA^3,4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 137-145, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08500 - 27 May 2020

Abstract Focal adhesions are polyproteins linked to extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton, which play an important role in the process of transforming force signals into intracellular chemical signals and subsequently triggering related physiological or pathological reactions. The cytoskeleton is a network of protein fibers in the cytoplasm, which is composed of microfilaments, microtubules, intermediate filaments, and cross-linked proteins. It is a very important structure for cells to maintain their basic morphology. This review summarizes the process of fluid shear stress transduction mediated by focal adhesion and the key role of the cytoskeleton in this process, which focuses More >

Xiaodong Wang^1,2, Meng Su², Chuntai Liu², Changyu Shen², Xianhu Liu^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.1, pp. 89-99, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.08493 - 01 January 2020

Abstract Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites is prepared by the immersion of PVA/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites in the reducing agent aqueous solution. The PVA/graphene nanocomposites can be used as scaffold after treatment by chemical crosslinking agents. The surface hydrophilicity of the nanocomposite scaffolds decreased with the addition of GO or rGO by measuring the contact angles of scaffolds. The electrical conductivity of PVA/rGO nanocomposite scaffold increased with rGO content increased. The highest conductivity of PVA/rGO nanocomposite scaffolds with 10 wt% rGO could reach to 12.16 × 10⁻³ S/m. The NIH-3T3 fibroblasts attach and grow More >

Yunfeng Chen^1,2,3,†,*, Jiexi Liao^4,†, Zhou Yuan¹, Kaitao Li⁴, Baoyu Liu⁴, Lining Arnold Ju^4,5,6, Cheng Zhu^1,2,4,5,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 97-97, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07123

Abstract Force-mediated molecular binding initiates numerous cellular activities such as cell adhesion, migration, and activation. Dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS) is widely used to examine molecular binding and cell mechano-signaling [1]. The rate of dissociation, off-rate, is an important attribute of molecular binding that reflects bond stability. Extensive DFS works have demonstrated that off-rates are a function of force magnitude, yielding signature bond behaviors like “catch bond” [2]. However, as a controversial topic of the field, different DFS assays, i.e., force-clamp and force-ramp assays, often yielded distinctive "off-rate vs. force" relations from the same molecular system [3].… More >

Nina Graupner^1,*, Koranat Narkpiban^2,5, Thiprada Poonsawat³, Porntip Tooptompong⁴, Jörg Müssig¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.7, No.8, pp. 693-711, 2019, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2019.06785

Abstract Toddy palm fruit have an apparent density below 0.8 g/cm³ and offer an interesting lightweight construction potential in polylactide (PLA) composites reinforced with 37 mass-% fibres. Single fibre bundles show similar mechanical properties compared with coir: tensile strength of 240 MPa, Young´s modulus of 3.8 GPa and an elongation at break of 31%. However, density and diameter (~ 50 μm) of fruit fibre bundles are significantly lower. The compression moulded composites have a density of 0.9 g/cm³ and achieved an unnotched Charpy impact strength of 12 kJ/m², a tensile strength of 25 MPa, Young’s modulus… More >

Yunfeng Chen^1,2,3,†,*, Jiexi Liao^4,†, Zhou Yuan¹, Kaitao Li⁴, Baoyu Liu⁴, Lining Arnold Ju^4,5,6, Cheng Zhu^1,2,4,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, No.3, pp. 211-223, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07267

Abstract Force plays critical roles in cell adhesion and mechano-signaling, partially by regulating the dissociation rate, i.e., off-rate, of receptor-ligand bonds. However, the mechanism of such regulation still remains elusive. As a controversial topic of the field, when measuring the “off-rate vs. force” relation of the same molecular system, different dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS) assays (namely, force-clamp and force-ramp assays) often yield contradictive results. Such discrepancies hurdled our further understanding of molecular binding, and casted doubt on the existing theoretical models. In this work, we used a live-cell DFS technique, biomembrane force probe, to measure the… More >