LOX-1 activation by oxLDL triggers an epithelial mesenchymal transition and promotes tumorigenic potential in prostate cancer cells.

Obesity is related to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer with high malignancy stages or metastasis. Recent results demonstrated that LOX-1, a receptor associated with obesity and atherosclerosis, is overexpressed in advanced and metastatic prostate cancer. Furthermore, high levels of oxLDL, the main ligand for LOX-1, have been found in patients with advanced prostate cancer. However, the role of LOX-1 in prostate cancer has not been unraveled completely yet. Here, we show that LOX-1 is overexpressed in prostate cancer cells and its activation by oxLDL promotes an epithelial to mesenchymal transition, through of lowered expression of epithelial markers (E-cadherin and plakoglobin) and an increased expression of mesenchymal markers (vimentin, N-cadherin, snail, slug, MMP-2 and MMP-9). Consequently, LOX-1 activation by oxLDL promotes actin cytoskeleton restructuration and MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity inducing prostate cancer cell invasion and migration. Additionally, LOX-1 increased the tumorigenic potential of prostate cancer cells and its expression was necessary for tumor growth in nude mice. In conclusion, our results suggest that oxLDL/LOX-1 could be ones of mechanisms that explain why obese patients with prostate cancer have an accelerated tumor progression and a greater probability of developing metastasis.

Infrared spectroscopy analysis of the structure of multilayer Langmuir-Blodgett films: effect of deposition velocity and pH.

Multiple Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of arachidic acid were deposited on germanium (Ge) substrates from subphase solutions of 10(-4) M CdCl2 at different pH values and at different deposition speeds. Attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy was used to obtain information on the molecular order and structure of these multilayer LB films. At pHs higher than the pKa of the fatty acid/cation system, transfers took place only during the downstroke, indicating X-type deposition. At pH = pKa and large deposition speeds, deposition partially failed during the downstroke, resulting in Z-type depositions. Analysis of the infrared spectra indicates that multiple LB films deposited only during the upstroke (Z-type) or during downstrokes (X-type) have a centrosymmetric structure typical of films deposited during the upstroke and downstroke, except for a slight decrease in molecular order and tilt angle as the pH increases (X-type). The centrosymmetric structure indicates that rearrangement of layers takes place between cycles. Experimental evidence of such rearrangement occurring in a fatty acid/divalent cation salt subphase is shown here, and rearrangement alternatives are discussed.

Purification of bioproducts by free-flow zone electrophoresis: choice of processing parameters.

Free-flow zone electrophoresis may be used to purify biological samples, due to differences in electrophoretic mobility, in absence of a matrix--most frequently a gel--thus enabling the biological integrity of even fragile molecules to be preserved. However, the process is more complicated than its principle suggests due to different transport phenomena interfering with electrophoretic migration, with the resultant separation depending both on separation effects and dispersive phenomena. The physical origin of the main effects involved was identified. Mathematical expressions were proposed to estimate the influence of the crescent effect and electrohydrodynamics on the process. In this paper, these equations are used to determine the minimum difference in electrophoretic mobility required for a separation to be achieved with respect to the processing parameters. A methodology is proposed which defines the conditions under which the difference in electrophoretic mobilities equals that calculated when considering the influence of dispersive phenomena. Optimized separations of the whey proteins lactoferrin and albumin, known to interact strongly, and the purification of a monoclonal antibody from a mouse ascitic fluid illustrate the approach.

[Predictive factors for hospital infections caused by Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms]. / Factores predictivos de las infecciones nosocomiales producidas por microorganismos grampositivos y gramnegativos.

BACKGROUND: Knowing the bacterian map and clinical profile of nosocomial infections (NI) in Spain may aid the better planning of empiric antimicrobian treatment. METHODS: A prospective incidence study carried out over 9 months was performed. Data collection out with the use of an EPINE project file. The chi square test and comparison of independent sample percentages were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: During the study period 156 cases of NI (rate (5.5%) were detected: 65 patients with gram-negative bacilli infection (GNB), 34 by gram-positive cocci (GPC), 20 with mixed infection and 13 by Candida. The most frequent localization was urinary infection (63%) followed by surgical wound infection, pressure ulcers and respiratory infection. Of the 203 isolations, 57% corresponded to GNB, with E. coli being the most frequent microorganism. Staphylococcus aureus was the GPC most often found (95% methycilline sensitive). CONCLUSIONS: The profile of a patient with nosocomial infection in a hospital such as that in which the autors work would be as follows: if the patient were admitted in the department of internal medicine, was dementia or coma, denutrition, urinary catheter or neurologic disease and has NI (overall urinary infection) the infection would most likely be a caused by a gram-negative microorganism. If the patient has an i.v. line or is in a surgical ward, or has deep surgical wound infection the microorganism isolated would most likely be gram-positive.