Publications

The involvement of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in tumor progression has motivated the development of biomaterials mimicking the tumor ECM to develop more predictive cancer models. Particularly, polypeptides based on elastin could be an interesting approach to mimic the ECM due to their tunable properties. Here, we demonstrated that elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) hydrogels can be suitable biomaterials to develop breast cancer models. This hydrogel was formed by two ELR polypeptides, one containing sequences biodegradable by matrix metalloproteinase and cyclooctyne and the other carrying arginylglycylaspartic acid and azide groups to allow cell adhesion, biodegradability, and suitable stiffness through "click-chemistry" cross-linking. Our findings show that breast cancer or nontumorigenic breast cells showed high viability and cell proliferation for up to 7 days. MCF7 and MCF10A formed spheroids whereas MDA-MB-231 formed cell networks, with the expression of ECM and high drug resistance in all cases, evidencing that ELR hydrogels are a promising biomaterial for breast cancer modeling.

JTD Keywords: clinical-trials, collagen i, discovery, mcf-7 cells, phenotype, progression, spheroids, translation, tumor microenvironment, Extracellular-matrix

Effective inhibition of sperm motility using a spermicide can be a promising approach in developing non-invasive male contraceptive agents. Copper is known to have contraceptive properties and has been used clinically for decades as intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) for contraception in females. Beyond that, the spermicidal use of copper is not explored much further, even though its use can also subdue the harmful effects caused by the hormonal female contraceptive agents on the environment. Herein, the size, concentration, and time-dependent in vitro inhibition of bovine spermatozoa by copper microparticles are studied. The effectivity in inhibiting sperm motility is correlated with the amount of Cu2+ ions released by the particles during incubation. The copper particles cause direct suppression of sperm motility and viability upon incubation and thereby show potential as sperm-inhibiting, hormone-free candidate for male contraception. In addition, biocompatibility tests using a cervical cell line help optimizing the size and concentration of the copper particles for the best spermicidal action while avoiding toxicity to the surrounding tissue.

JTD Keywords: Bovine spermatozoa, Clinical-trial, Copper, Human-spermatozoa, Ions, Male contraception, Metallic copper, Microparticles, Progestins, Sperm motility, Sperm viability, Spermicide, Viability

The importance of quality control in both general and respiratory medicine has increased in parallel with the complexity of healthcare provision. Only a few decades ago, the respiratory physician and/or scientist had a very limited number of diagnostic and therapeutic tools available and, moreover, medical practice was based almost exclusively on the personal interaction between doctor and patient. Consequently, at that time the quality of the respiratory healthcare depended entirely on the professional competence of the doctor. Although nowadays the relationship between physician and patient undoubtedly still lies at the heart of respiratory medical practice, the quality of the medical service received by the patient also depends on many other participants in a complex healthcare network: various medical specialists, lung function technicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers and administrative staff. Accordingly, several quality control programmes are applied in order to avoid, or at least to reduce, errors in diagnosis, improper performance of procedures, errors in medication, and failure to supervise or monitor care or recognise complications associated with treatment

JTD Keywords: Airway pressure devices, Clinical-trial, Standardization, Spirometry, Lung, Home, Ventilators, Publication, Performance, Technology