The nickel-titanium alloy (57Ni-43Ti in wt%) was atomized by the plasma rotating electrode process (PREP). The PREP parameters such as plasma arc current, rotating electrode speed with corresponding PREP powder size range in weight percentage analysis, powder morphology and biocapability of cells were studied by scanning electron microscopies, Inductively Coupled Plasma and X-ray diffraction techniques. From the electrode of the produced powders, the composition has no obviously changes. Weight percentage up to 31.8% of the range under 300 μm while the rotation electrode speed increase to 12k rpm. Spherical and flat with smooth surface were observed in different size range. Brittle phase was not observed of XRD data. The nitinol powder has high biocapability with cells showed no cytotoxicity and well cell adhesion in the in vivo assay.

Epithelial and mesenchymal transition mechanisms continue to occur during the cell cycle and throughout human development from the embryo stage to death. In embryo development, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) can be divided into three essential steps. First, endoderm, mesoderm, and neural crest cells form, then the cells are subdivided, and finally, cardiac valve formation occurs. After the embryonic period, the human body will be subjected to ongoing mechanical stress or injury. The formation of a wound requires EMT to recruit fibroblasts to generate granulation tissues, repair the wound and re-create an intact skin barrier. However, once cells transform into a malignant tumor, the tumor cells acquire the characteristic of immortality. Local cell growth with no growth inhibition creates a solid tumor. If the tumor cannot obtain enough nutrition in situ, the tumor cells will undergo EMT and invade the basal membrane of nearby blood vessels. The tumor cells are transported through the bloodstream to secondary sites and then begin to form colonies and undergo reverse EMT, the so-called “mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET).” This dynamic change involves cell morphology, environmental conditions, and external stimuli. Therefore, in this manuscript, the similarities and differences between EMT and MET will be dissected from embryonic development to the stage of cancer metastasis.

Mammalian STE20-like kinase 1 (MST1/STK4/KRS2) encodes a serine/threonine kinase that is the mammalian homolog ofDrosophilaHippo. STK4 plays an important role in controlling cell growth, apoptosis, and organ size. STK4 has been studied in many cancers with previous studies indicating an involvement in colon cancer lymph node metastasis and highlighting its potential as a diagnostic marker for colon cancer. However, the role of STK4 defect in promoting colon cancer progression is still understudied. Here, we found that STK4 was significantly downregulated in colon cancer and was associated with distal metastasis and poor survival. Furthermore, STK4 knockdown enhanced sphere formation and metastasisin vitroand promoted tumor developmentin vivo. We found that STK4 colocalized with beta-catenin and directly phosphorylated beta-catenin resulting in its degradation via the ubiquitin-mediated pathway. This may suggest that STK4 knockdown causes beta-catenin phosphorylation failure and subsequently beta-catenin accumulation, consequently leading to anchorage-independent growth and metastasis in colon cancer. Our results support that STK4 may act as a potential candidate for the assessment of beta-catenin-mediated colon cancer prognosis.

Selective Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (SEBAM) is a promising powder bed fusion additive manufacturing technique for titanium alloys that select particular area melting in different energy density for producing complexly shaped biomedical devices. For most commercial Ti6Al4V porous medical devices, the gradient energy density is usually applied to manufacture in one component during the SEBAM process which selects different energy density built on particular zones. This paper presents gradient energy density base characterization study on an SEBAM built rectangular specimen with a size of 3 mm × 20 mm × 60 mm. The specimen was divided into three zones were built in gradient energy density from 16 to 26.5 J/mm³. The microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and mechanical test. The α′ martensitic and lack of fusion were observed in the low energy density (LED) built zone. However, no α′ phase and no irregular pores were observed both in overlap energy density (OED) and high energy density (HED) built zones located at the middle and bottom of the specimen respectively. This implies the top location and lower energy density have positive effects on the cooling rate but negative effects on densification. The subsequence mechanical properties result also supports this point. Moreover, the intermetallic Ti₃Al found in the bottom may be due to the heat transfer from the following melting layer. Furthermore, the microstructure evolution in gradient energy built zones is discussed based on the findings of the microstructure and thermal history correlation analysis.