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Motor disorders are among the most common consequences of severe craniocerebral injury (traumatic brain injury — TBI). Deeper insights into pathophysiological mechanisms of these disorders is important both from a theoretical point of view and in terms of improving neurorehabilitation approaches.The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation of right–sided posttraumatic hemiparesis severity with composite characteristics of fractional anisotropy (FA) in the segments of the corpus callosum (CC), corticospinal tract (CST) and the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFO) at different stages of traumatic disease (acute, subacute and long-term periods).Material and methods. Cases of 43 patients with TBI were analyzed (28 men and 15 women aged 13 to 59 years, mean age 28±9 years). Forty patients were diagnosed with severe TBI with diffuse axonal damage, three patients had moderate severity TBI. Long-term follow up included continuous clinical and neurological examination with evaluation of patient’s level of consciousness using the CRS-R scale, and the degree of motor deficits in right-sided hemiparesis using a five-point scale. During three post-TBI periods (up to 1 month, from 1 to 6 months, and from 6 to 12 months), patients were examined using diffusion tensor MRI (DTI), tractography and FA. Motor, cortico-spinal tracts and IFO were divided by measurement grid, correlations between FA and scores of right-sided hemiparesis were calculated for each segment.Results. FA correlations (P0.05) with the severity of hemiparesis were established not only for CST motor-specific segments, but also for some CC and IFO segments. In the early period of TBI significant correlations with hemiparesis severity were found not only in the contralateral CST segments, but also in the ipsilateral ones. Significant differences in FA in the related CC and CST segments were found between the groups with good and limited motor recovery: at all stages after TBI, FA was higher in patients with successful recovery.Conclusion. The results of the study provide better insight into pathophysiological mechanisms of post-traumatic motor disorders development, therefore favoring optimization of therapeutic strategies.

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis L.) wax was previously reported to increase cutaneous wound healing, ameliorate acne and psoriasis manifestations, and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. However, its potential cosmetic properties have not been fully investigated. Thus, the current study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of jojoba wax and its impact on the synthesis of extracellular components following topical application. The fatty acid and fatty alcohol profiles of two industrial and two lab-scale cold-press jojoba waxes were analyzed along with total tocopherol and phytosterol content. The dermo-cosmetic effect of all jojoba wax preparations was evaluated ex-vivo, using the human skin organ culture model, which emulates key features of intact tissue. The ability of jojoba wax to reduce secreted levels of key pro-inflammatory cytokines and the safety of the applications in the ex-vivo model were evaluated. In addition, the impact on the synthesis of pro-collagen and hyaluronic acid levels upon treatment was investigated. The results demonstrate that topically applied jojoba wax can reduce LPS-induced secretion of IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα by approx. 30% compared to untreated skin. This effect was enhanced when treatment was combined with low non-toxic levels of Triton X-100, and its efficacy was similar to the anti-inflammatory activity of dexamethasone used as a positive control. In addition, mRNA and protein levels of collagen III and synthesis of hyaluronic acid were markedly increased upon topical application of jojoba. Moreover, the enhanced content of extracellular matrix (ECM) components correlated with the enhanced expression of TGFβ1. Collectively, our results further demonstrate that jojoba can reduce local skin inflammation, and this effect may be increased by emulsifier which increases its bioavailability. In addition, the finding that topical application of jojoba wax enhances the synthesis of pro-collagen and hyaluronic acid and may be beneficial in the treatment of age-related manifestations.

In the course of the search for a flow pattern optimal for culture growth in vortex bioreactors, our experiments discovered striking flow structures that existing theoretical models cannot explain. Three immiscible liquids fill a vertical open cylindrical container whose sidewall is still while the bottom disk rotates driving a circulatory fluid motion. The centrifugal force pushes the lower liquid (L, aqueous glycerol) from the axis to the periphery near the bottom, creating its toroid circulation that in turn drives the middle liquid (M, sunflower oil) and the upper liquid (U, alcoholic glycerine). Under certain conditions with increasing rotation, counterflows develop near both interfaces LM and MU: the liquids move towards (away from) the axis below (above) the interface that seems paradoxical. At a small thickness of M, a stagnation zone arises where the axial and radial velocities vanish and the M liquid only rotates. As M thickness decreases, this stagnation zone expands and occupies the entire volume of the middle liquid. These counterintuitive results await their theoretical explanation and formulation of new contact conditions at the LM and MU interfaces.

Summary: Misfolded proteins and components of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) quality control and ER associated degradation (ERAD) machineries concentrate in mammalian cells in the pericentriolar ER-derived quality control compartment (ERQC), suggesting it as a staging ground for ERAD. By tracking the chaperone calreticulin and an ERAD substrate, we have now determined that the trafficking to the ERQC is reversible and recycling back to the ER is slower than the movement in the ER periphery. The dynamics suggest vesicular trafficking rather than diffusion. Indeed, using dominant negative mutants of ARF1 and Sar1 or the drugs Brefeldin A and H89, we observed that COPI inhibition causes accumulation in the ERQC and increases ERAD, whereas COPII inhibition has the opposite effect. Our results suggest that targeting of misfolded proteins to ERAD involves COPII-dependent transport to the ERQC and that they can be retrieved to the peripheral ER in a COPI-dependent manner.

Abstract Looking for an optimal flow shape for culture growth in vortex bioreactors, an intriguing and impressive structure has been observed that mimics the strong swirling flows in the atmosphere (tornado) and ocean (waterspout). To better understand the flow nature and topology, this experimental study explores the development of vortex breakdown (VB) in a lab-scale swirling flow of two immiscible fluids filling a vertical cylindrical container. The rotating bottom disk drives the circulation of both fluids while the sidewall is stationary. The container can be either sealed with the still top disk (SC) or open (OC). As the rotation strength (Re) increases, a new circulation cell occurs in each fluid—the dual VB. In case SC, VB first emerges in the lower fluid at Re = 475 and then in the upper fluid at Re = 746. In case OC, VB first emerges in the upper fluid at Re = 524 and then in the lower fluid at Re = 538. The flow remains steady and axisymmetric with the interface and the free surface being just slightly deformed in the studied range of Re. Such two-VB swirling flows can provide efficient mixing in aerial or two-fluid bioreactors.