Culture Media

BACKGROUND: Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of diabetes-related complications. However, whether macrophage-derived MALAT1 affects autophagic activity under hyperglycemic conditions is unclear. Therefore, we investigated the molecular regulatory mechanisms of macrophage-derived MALAT1 and autophagy under hyperglycemic conditions. METHODS: Hyperglycemia was induced by culturing macrophages in 25 mM glucose for 1 h...

Gap junctional connection (GJC) in the cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) provides necessary support for message communication and nutrient transmission required for mammalian oocyte maturation. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is not only a prerequisite for regulating oocyte meiosis, but also the key intercellular factor for affecting GJC function in COCs. However, there are no reports on whether cAMP regulates connexin 37 (Cx37) expression, one of the main connexin proteins, in sheep COCs. In this study, the expression of Cx37 protein and gene in immature sheep COC was detected using immunohistochemistry and PCR...

In plant tissue culture, callus formation serves as a crucial mechanism for regenerating entire plants, enabling the differentiation of diverse tissues. Researchers have extensively studied the influence of media composition, particularly plant growth regulators, on callus behavior. However, the impact of the physical properties of the media, a well-established factor in mammalian cell studies, has received limited attention in the context of plant tissue culture. Previous research has highlighted the significance of gelling agents in affecting callus growth and differentiation, with Agar, Phytagel, and Gelrite being the most used options...

Background and objective There has been a significant increase in rhinoplasty procedures in Saudi Arabia recently. Cultural factors, societal pressure, and a desire for beauty and self-improvement contribute to the growing interest in cosmetic procedures among the Saudi population. However, limited research has been conducted specifically focusing on the interest in rhinoplasty and the awareness of postoperative complications among female high school students. This study aimed to investigate the interest in rhinoplasty and awareness of postoperative complications among female high school students in Taif, Saudi Arabia...

Contamination rates reported in the literature for patient-ready flexible endoscopes vary from 0.4% to 49%. Unfortunately, the comparison and interpretation of these results is almost impossible since several factors including sampling and culturing methods, target levels for contamination or definition of indicator microorganisms vary widely from one study to the other. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of six duodenoscope sampling and culturing methods by means of extraction efficacy comparison, while at the same time identifying key parameters that provide optimal microbial recovery...

This study investigated, if a mixed electroactive bacterial (EAB) culture cultivated heterotrophically at a positive applied potential could be adapted from oxidative to reductive or bidirectional extracellular electron transfer (EET). To this end, a periodic potential reversal regime between - 0.5 and 0.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl was applied. This yielded biofilm detachment and mediated electroautotrophic EET in combination with carbonate, i.e., dissolved CO2 , as the sole carbon source, whereby the emerged mixed culture (S1) contained previously unknown EAB...

The endophytic fungus Aspergillus sp. SPH2 was isolated from the stems of the endemic plant Bethencourtia palmensis and its extracts were found to have strong fungicidal effects against Botrytis cinerea and ixodicidal effects against Hyalomma lusitanicum at different fermentation times. In this study, the fungus was grown using three different culture media and two methodologies, Microparticulate Enhancement Cultivation (MPEC) and Semi-Solid-State Fermentation (Semi-SSF), to increase the production of secondary metabolites during submerged fermentation...

Patients with Fabry disease suffer from chronic debilitating pain and peripheral sensory neuropathy with minimal treatment options, but the cellular drivers of this pain are unknown. Here, we propose a mechanism we believe to be novel in which altered signaling between Schwann cells and sensory neurons underlies the peripheral sensory nerve dysfunction we observed in a genetic rat model of Fabry disease. Using in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological recordings, we demonstrated that Fabry rat sensory neurons exhibited pronounced hyperexcitability...

Tuberculous otomastoiditis, a rare manifestation of tuberculosis in the head and neck region, poses diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to its non-specific clinical features and potential debilitating complications. While typically arising from direct spread from adjacent organs, the coexistence of tuberculous otomastoiditis and cervical spondylitis is rarely reported. We present the case of a 14-year-old male with a 3-month history of painless bilateral ear discharge resistant to antibiotic therapy. The clinical and radiological findings raised suspicions of tuberculous otomastoiditis and spondylitis, which was later confirmed by histopathological examination despite negative microbiological cultures...

Scholars have consistently explored Barbie in various contexts, often subjecting it to critical analysis. However, the release of the Barbie 2023 Movie has shifted our focus from Barbie to Ken, marking the first occasion when Barbie has provided a platform for exploring representations of masculinity both in the patriarchal society and in popular culture. This article aims to investigate how the 2023 Barbie movie deconstructs symbols of hegemonic and toxic masculinity and its performative aspects within the framework of (post)feminist discourse...

In this investigation, cellulose-degrading fungi and bacteria were isolated from different partially decomposed cellulose-rich substrates, such as groundnut residues, rice straw, and rotten wood, following dilution plating techniques on carboxymethyl cellulose agar media and screening for potential cellulose degradation ability. The development of a clear halo zone surrounding the microbial colonies during the initial screening process using the Congo red test (20 isolates) suggested cellulose hydrolysis, and the highest cellulase production activity was implied by the isolates with the largest clear zone ratio (9 isolates)...

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are dreadful brain tumors with abysmal survival outcomes. GBM EVs dramatically affect normal brain cells (largely astrocytes) constituting the tumor microenvironment (TME). EVs from different patient-derived GBM spheroids induced differential transcriptomic, secretomic, and proteomic effects on cultured astrocytes/brain tissue slices as GBM EV recipients. The net outcome of brain cell differential changes nonetheless converges on increased tumorigenicity. GBM spheroids and brain slices were derived from neurosurgical patient tissues following informed consent...

Dysfunction of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a common shared pathology in major degenerative retinal diseases despite variations in the primary etiologies of each disease. Due to their demanding and indispensable functional roles throughout the lifetime, RPE cells are vulnerable to genetic predisposition, external stress, and aging processes. Building upon recent advancements in stem cell technology for differentiating healthy RPE cells and recognizing the significant roles of small extracellular vesicles (sEV) in cellular paracrine and autocrine actions, we investigated the hypothesis that the RPE-secreted sEV alone can restore essential RPE functions and rescue photoreceptors in RPE dysfunction-driven retinal degeneration...

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is thought to be an estradiol-independent, hormone therapy-resistant cancer because of lack of estrogen receptor alpha 66 (ERα66). We identified a membrane-bound splice variant, ERα36, in TNBC cells that responds to estrogen (E2 ) and may contribute to bone osteolysis. We demonstrated that the MDA-MB-231 TNBC cell line, which expresses ERα36 similarly to MCF7 cells, is responsive to E2 , forming osteolytic tumors in vivo. MDA-MB-231 cells activate osteoclasts in a paracrine manner...

Psidium cattleianum Sabine (strawberry guava) is an evergreen shrub that is grown as a fruiting hedge and has received significant consideration in the food and pharmaceutical disciplines. This study aims to set a promising protocol for in vitro propagation of P. cattleianum , along with profiling the phenolic content of the original plant (OP), induced callus (IC), and regenerated plantlets (RP) extracts, ultimately, evaluating their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer potential. Seeds were treated with commercial bleaching, HCl, and H2 O2 to enhance the germination percentage and minimize the contamination percentage...

BACKGROUND: Since 1950, public communication about the neurobiological-psychosocial basis of mental illness from the diathesis-stress model has promoted reception to treatment yet violent/dangerous stereotypes have increased during this period. Moreover, public mental health communication efforts have predominantly diffused in English-language media, excluding Spanish/Latinx media and its consumers from these efforts. To inform future mental health communication strategies, this study leverages high versus low diffusion of public mental health communication across English and Spanish/Latinx media to examine public mental health communication effects on stigma and treatment beliefs via neurobiological-psychosocial beliefs...

Recently, membrane devices and processes have been applied for the separation and concentration of subcellular components such as extracellular vesicles (EVs), which play a diagnostic and therapeutic role in many pathological conditions. However, the separation and isolation of specific EV populations from other components found in biological fluids is still challenging. Here, we developed a peptide-functionalized hollow fiber (HF) membrane module to achieve the separation and enrichment of highly pure EVs derived from the culture media of human cardiac progenitor cells...

Noninvasive monitoring of biofabricated tissues during the biomanufacturing process is needed to obtain reproducible, healthy, and functional tissues. Measuring the levels of biomarkers secreted from tissues is a promising strategy to understand the status of tissues during biofabrication. Continuous and real-time information from cultivated tissues enables users to achieve scalable manufacturing. Label-free biosensors are promising candidates for detecting cell secretomes since they can be noninvasive and do not require labor-intensive processes such as cell lysing...

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), a form of extracellular vesicles, are lipid bilayered structures released by all cells. Large-scale studies on sEVs from clinical samples are necessary, but a major obstacle is the lack of rapid, reproducible, efficient, and low-cost methods to enrich sEVs. Acoustic microfluidics have the advantage of being label-free and biocompatible, which have been reported to successfully enrich sEVs. In this paper, we present a highly efficient acoustic microfluidic trap that can offer low and large volume compatible ways of enriching sEVs from biological fluids by flexible structure design...

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a preventable chronic condition and a risk factor for poor health and early mortality. Weight stigma and weight-neutral medicine are popular topics in social media that are often at odds with current medical guidelines on obesity treatment and prevention. This conflict may erode the public's trust in science, impede research progress on preventing obesity in marginalized groups, and uphold the ongoing and historical lack of diversity among nutrition trainees. METHODS: The authors conducted a series of student-led dialogue sessions with nutrition graduate students in Boston, Massachusetts, from March to May 2023 to understand perceptions of obesity research, health equity, and racism and discrimination...