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Optical clearing (OC) is a promising method to overcome limitations in biomedical depth-resolved optical studies. Mechanisms of OC in purified bovine Achilles tendon, chicken skin, and chicken tendon were studied using time-lapsed, three-dimensional second harmonic generation (SHG) and two-photon fluorescence microscopic imaging. Quantified nonlinear optical measurements allowed temporal separation of two processes in collagen OC with glycerol. The first one is a fast process of tissue dehydration accompanied with collagen shrinkage and the second relatively slow process is glycerol penetration into the interfibrillar space of collagen alongside with CF swelling. The use of 50% glycerol induced less-expressed OC via partial substitution of water molecules with glycerol molecules. We also found that phosphate-buffered saline- and glycerol-treatments were reversible, and fiber morphology and SHG signal intensity were recovered after the removal of immersion agents. It was shown that tissue OC was a dynamic process and elucidation of its physical mechanisms may help choose optimal diagnostic, treatment, and modification regimes for collagen-based as well as other types of biomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which aims to determine the effect of using a cane on movement time, joint moment, weight symmetry, and muscle activation patterns during sit-to-stand (STS) transfer in subjects with hemiparesis. It shows that subjects who uses a cane have shortened movement time, greater knee extensor moment, and better symmetrical performance. The authors conclude that cane use may promote more symmetrical STS transfers rather than compensation by the unaffected limb.

Minimizing total tardiness in the model of an identical parallel-machine with nonpreemptive jobs of the worker assignment scheduling problem is further studied in this paper. More complicated simulation processes are established for this purpose. The specific worker assignment scheduling problem is solved in two parts of job scheduling and worker assignment. The S_PT, E_DD, S_lack (SES) heuristic is used for the job scheduling part while the largest marginal contribution (LMC) procedure is used to for the worker assignment part and then minimizes the total tardiness. From the new simulations conducted, the heuristics developed have again shown very convincing results quite efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two generalized schemes for realizing grounded and floating immittance function simulators are proposed. A given real and rational voltage transfer function with the poles and zeros in the open left half-plane only can be converted into an immittance simulator. By suitably choosing the two-port network, both simulators can be integrated in current IC technology. The circuits do not require active component-matching. They perform well over a wide frequency range. Experimental results on these simulators are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imaging adult zebrafish’s cardiac organ is often hampered by the limited volume of the internal cavity. This research study aims to design, manufacture and apply a miniature illumination probe amended with an aluminum-coated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) concave cylindrical mirrors as well as 3D-printed casings for probe assembly in a light-sheet fluorescence microscopy to explore its applicability of visualizing adult zebrafish’s ventricle. The system was calibrated and characterized. The experimental results successfully demonstrated the tracking of the ventricular regeneration in female adult zebrafish at multiple time points and can be conducive to other heart-related research in in vivo settings.

Sorbic acid (SA) is one of the most commonly used food preservatives worldwide. Despite SA having no hepato-toxicity at legal dosages, its effect on hepatic lipid metabolism is still unclear. We investigated the effect of SA on hepaticlipid metabolism and its mechanism of action in C57BL/6 mice. Daily treatment with SA (1 g/kg in diet) for 4 weeks didnot alter the body weight, organ weight, and blood lipids in mice. However, hepatic lipid accumulation, particularly thatof triglycerides, fatty acids, and glycerol, but not cholesteryl ester and free cholesterol, was increased with SA treatment.Mechanistically, SA decreased the expression of proteins related to de novo fatty acid lipogenesis, fatty acid internalization, and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion-related pathways, including sterol regulatory element-binding proteins, acetyl-coA carboxylase, fatty acid synthase, liver fatty acid-binding protein, CD36, and apolipoproteinE. In contrast, SA increased the expression of diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2, the key enzyme for triacylglycerolsynthesis. Moreover, SA downregulated the protein expression of autophagy-related and β-oxidation-related pathways,the two major metabolic pathways for lipid metabolism, including LC-3, beclin-1, autophagy related protein 5 (ATG-5)and ATG-7, acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 1, carnitine palmitoyltransferase Iα, peroxisome pro-liferator-activated receptor α(PPARα), PPARγ, and PPARγ coactivator-1. Collectively, SA deregulates de novo lipo-genesis and fatty acid internalization, VLDL secretion, autophagy, and β-oxidation in the liver, leading to impaired lipidclearance and ultimately, resulting in lipid accumulation in the liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins (SP) can bind to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells (HPAEpiC) and trigger an inflammatory process. Angiotensin-(1–7) may have an anti-inflammatory effect through activation of Mas receptor. This study aims to investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 SP can induce inflammation through ACE2 in the alveolar epithelial cells which can be modulated through angiotensin-(1–7)/Mas receptor axis. Methods: HPAEpiC were treated with SARS-CoV-2 SP in the presence or absence of ACE2 antagonist-dalbavancin and Mas receptor agonist-angiotensin-(1–7). Proinflammatory cytokine production (IL-6 and IL-8) were measured at mRNA and protein levels. MAP kinase phosphorylation and transcription factor activation was determined by Western Blot. Mas receptor was blocked by either antagonist (A779) or knockdown (specific SiRNA). Experiments were replicated using A549 cells. Findings: SARS-CoV-2 SP (5 μg/mL) significantly induced MAP kinase (ERK1/2) phosphorylation, downstream transcription factor (activator protein-1, AP-1) activation and cytokine production (IL-6 and IL-8) at both mRNA and protein levels. Pretreatment with dalbavancin (10 μg/mL), or angiotensin-(1–7) (10 μM) significantly reduced ERK1/2 phosphorylation, AP-1 activation, and cytokine production. However, these angiotensin-(1–7)-related protective effects were significantly abolished by blocking Mas receptor with either antagonist (A799,10 μM) or SiRNA knockdown. Interpretation: SARS-CoV-2 SP can induce proinflammatory cytokine production, which can be inhibited by either ACE2 antagonist or Mas receptor agonist-angiotensin-(1–7). Angiotensin-(1–7)-related protective effect on cytokine reduction can be abolished by blocking Mas receptor. Our findings suggest that ACE2/angiotensin-(1–7)/Mas axis may serve as a therapeutic target to control inflammatory response triggered by SARS-CoV-2 SP.

The article discusses a technique proposed for the left-handed operator to repair a ventricular septal defect. The operator repaired the defect by forward stitching continuously using the left hand under adequate exposure by traction suture. It also presents the pursestring stitching for cannulation and venting site suturing.

IntroductionDevelopmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor skill deficits. Such deficits often limit children's participation in physical activities, further affecting their overall health, including through reduced cardiopulmonary fitness. Because virtual reality (VR) devices offer interactive games and activities that require various movements and coordination, they can serve as motivating and enjoyable means for children to perform physical exercise. In this study, we developed a VR-based exergaming system and tested its ability to enhance the cardiopulmonary fitness of children with DCD.Materials and methodsA total of 13 children with DCD and 10 young adults were recruited in phase I to examine the test–retest reliability and concurrent validity of our system (including a custom-made heart rate monitor) with a commercial heart rate device. In phase II, we included an additional 13 children with DCD to test the feasibility of the system. We tested the outcomes using the enjoyment rating scale, intrinsic motivation inventory (IMI), and 20-m shuttle run test (20mSRT).ResultsIn phase I, test–retest reliability was good to excellent in the static task and moderate to good in the dynamic task. Concurrent validity was excellent in both tasks. In phase II, more than half of the children (18 out of 26) assigned the maximum rating for their enjoyment of the game; they also had high average scores on the IMI. Furthermore, after the 8-week training using the VR program, the average running distance of the 26 children in the 20mSRT had increased significantly from 129.23 m to 176.92 m (p

Coronary arteriovenous fistula is a rare congenital heart disease. A 71-year-old woman suffered from heart failure due to massive coronary arteriovenous fistulae from the right coronary artery and left circumflex artery to the coronary sinus. Using the off-pump technique, we successfully performed Starfish™-assisted obliteration of the fistulae. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography was used to confirm the complete elimination of the abnormal shunt flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration, as well as hyperproliferation of keratinocytes in skin lesions, and is considered a metabolic syndrome. We found that the expression of galectin-7 is reduced in skin lesions of patients with psoriasis. IL-17A and TNF-α, 2 cytokines intimately involved in the development of psoriatic lesions, suppressed galectin-7 expression in human primary keratinocytes (HEKn cells) and the immortalized human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT. A galectin-7 knockdown in these cells elevated the production of IL-6 and IL-8 and enhanced ERK signaling when the cells were stimulated with IL-17A. Galectin-7 attenuated IL-17A-induced production of inflammatory mediators by keratinocytes via the microRNA-146a/ERK pathway. Moreover, galectin-7-deficient mice showed enhanced epidermal hyperplasia and skin inflammation in response to intradermal IL-23 injection. We identified fluvastatin as an inducer of galectin-7 expression by connectivity map analysis, confirmed this effect in keratinocytes, and demonstrated that fluvastatin attenuated IL-6 and IL-8 production induced by IL-17A. Thus, we validate a role of galectin-7 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, in both epidermal hyperplasia and keratinocyte-mediated inflammatory responses, and formulate a rationale for the use of statins in the treatment of psoriasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]