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Three-dimensional (3D) spheroid culture has applications in many fields as spheroids closely recapitulate physiological conditions. However, spheroid culture and maintenance are time-consuming and unsuitable for urgent situations; therefore, appropriate cryopreservation methods for spheroids are required for their use in an on-demand and ready-to-use manner. We hypothesized that the feasibility of a ready-to-use system relies on diffusion of the preservation solution within spheroids; we thus evaluated the effects of spheroid-forming parameters, such as cell number and culture period, on spheroid viability and functionality. Long-term spheroid culture for seven days interfered with penetration of the cryopreservation solution as it caused cell condensation and extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion, as well as low viability and migratory activity upon replating after storage. However, ready-to-use spheroids, which were cultured for one day and then cryopreserved, showed viability and migration similar to those of non-cryopreserved spheroids, confirming that a short incubation period was suitable for this system. The chondrocyte-based ready-to-use spheroid system designed in this study can be easily applied to regenerative medicine applications that require a large number of cells in the future and can provide information for applying the ready-to-use spheroid system to various cell types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of minipigs (Sus scrofa) as a platform for toxicological and pharmacological research is well established. In the present study, we investigated the effect of formaldehyde (FA) exposure on helper T cell-mediated splenic immune responses in Yucatan minipigs. The minipigs were exposed to different inhaled concentrations of FA (0, 2.16, 4.62, or 10.48 mg/m3) for a period of 2 weeks. Immune responses elicited by exposure to FA were determined by assessing physiological parameters, mRNA expression, and cytokine production. Additionally, the distribution of helper T cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells and expression of NFAT families, which are well-known T cell receptor signalling proteins associated with regulatory T cell development, were evaluated. Exposure to FA suppressed the expression of genes associated with Th1 and Th2 cells in minipigs in a concentration-dependent manner. The subsequent production of cytokines also declined post-FA exposure. Furthermore, exposure to FA induced the differentiation of CD4+ Foxp3+ Treg cells with divergent expression levels of NFAT1 and NFAT2. These results indicated that exposure to FA increased the Treg cell population via the NFAT-mediated T cell receptor signalling pathway, leading to suppression of effector T cell activity with a decline in T cell-related cytokine production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the prediction of fatigue and corrosion fatigue lives using neural network and accelerated life methods for dissimilar material weld between Alloy617 and 12Cr steel. First, dissimilar material welding between Alloy617 and 12Cr steel was performed using buttering technology. The fatigue and corrosion fatigue strengths, and electrochemical corrosion susceptibility of dissimilar material weld were assessed. After that, on the basis of obtained data, fatigue life and corrosion fatigue life of dissimilar material weld were predicted using the neural network and accelerated life test methods. The predicted results showed good agreement with the actual fatigue and corrosion fatigue lives. Especially, the results of the neural network prediction were more accurate than those of the accelerated life method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glufosinate-ammonium (GLA) is a broad-spectrum herbicide for agricultural weed control and crop desiccation. Due to many GLA-resistant crops being developed to effectively control weeds and increase harvest yields, herbicide usage and the residual GLA in food has increased significantly. Though perinatal exposure by the residual GLA in food might affect brain development, the developmental neurotoxicity of GLA is still unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of perinatal exposure to GLA on cortical development. The analysis revealed that perinatal GLA exposure altered behavioral changes in offspring, especially motor functional behavior. Moreover, perinatal GLA exposure affected cortical development, particularly by disrupting interneuron migration. These results provide new evidence that early life exposure to GLA alters cortical development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]