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BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Apr 2023Mechanical and thermal stimuli acting on the skin are detected by morphologically and physiologically distinct sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG)....
Mechanical and thermal stimuli acting on the skin are detected by morphologically and physiologically distinct sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Achieving a holistic view of how this diverse neuronal population relays sensory information from the skin to the central nervous system (CNS) has been challenging with existing tools. Here, we used transcriptomic datasets of the mouse DRG to guide development and curation of a genetic toolkit to interrogate transcriptionally defined DRG neuron subtypes. Morphological analysis revealed unique cutaneous axon arborization areas and branching patterns of each subtype. Physiological analysis showed that subtypes exhibit distinct thresholds and ranges of responses to mechanical and/or thermal stimuli. The somatosensory neuron toolbox thus enables comprehensive phenotyping of most principal sensory neuron subtypes. Moreover, our findings support a population coding scheme in which the activation thresholds of morphologically and physiologically distinct cutaneous DRG neuron subtypes tile multiple dimensions of stimulus space.
PubMed: 37131664
DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.22.537932 -
Science Advances May 2022The healthy functioning of the plants' vasculature depends on their ability to respond to environmental changes. In contrast, synthetic microfluidic systems have rarely...
The healthy functioning of the plants' vasculature depends on their ability to respond to environmental changes. In contrast, synthetic microfluidic systems have rarely demonstrated this environmental responsiveness. Plants respond to environmental stimuli through nastic movement, which inspires us to introduce transformable microfluidics: By embedding stimuli-responsive materials, the microfluidic device can respond to temperature, humidity, and light irradiance. Furthermore, by designing a foldable geometry, these responsive movements can follow the preset origami transformation. We term this device TransfOrigami microfluidics (TOM) to highlight the close connection between its transformation and the origami structure. TOM can be used as an environmentally adaptive photomicroreactor. It senses the environmental stimuli and feeds them back positively into photosynthetic conversion through morphological transformation. The principle behind this morphable microsystem can potentially be extended to applications that require responsiveness between the environment and the devices, such as dynamic artificial vascular networks and shape-adaptive flexible electronics.
PubMed: 35507654
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo1719 -
Physics and Imaging in Radiation... Jan 2019Adaptive radiation planning for pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) relies on accurate treatment response assessment, while traditional response evaluation criteria...
Combined morphologic and metabolic pipeline for Positron emission tomography/computed tomography based radiotherapy response evaluation in locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Adaptive radiation planning for pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) relies on accurate treatment response assessment, while traditional response evaluation criteria inefficiently characterize tumors with complex morphological features or intrinsically low metabolism. To better assess treatment response of PA, we quantify and compare regional morphological and metabolic features of the 3D pre- and post-radiation therapy (RT) tumor models.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-one PA patients with pre and post-RT Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans were evaluated. 3D meshes of pre- and post-RT tumors were generated and registered to establish vertex-wise correspondence. To assess tumor response, Mahalanobis distances ( ∣) between pre- and post-RT tumor surfaces with anatomic and metabolic fused vectors were calculated for each patient. ∣ was evaluated by overall survival (OS) prediction and survival risk classification. As a comparison, the same analyses were conducted on traditional imaging/physiological predictors, and distances measurements based on metabolic and morphological features only.
RESULTS
Among all the imaging/physiological parameters, ∣ was shown to be the best predictor of OS (HR = 0.52, p = 0.008), while other parameters failed to reach significance. Moreover, ∣ outperformed traditional morphologic and metabolic measurements in patient risk stratification, either alone (HR = 11.51, p < 0.001) or combined with age (HR = 9.04, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
We introduced a PET/CT-based novel morphologic and metabolic pipeline for response evaluation in locally advanced PA. The fused ∣ outperformed traditional morphologic, metabolic, and physiological measurements in OS prediction and risk stratification. The novel fusion model may serve as a new imaging-marker to more accurately characterize the heterogeneous tumor RT response.
PubMed: 32190750
DOI: 10.1016/j.phro.2018.12.003 -
Journal of Experimental Botany Jul 2021Cold stress adversely affects plant growth and is a limiting factor in crop productivity. Temperature volatility as a consequence of climate change will increase the...
Cold stress adversely affects plant growth and is a limiting factor in crop productivity. Temperature volatility as a consequence of climate change will increase the effects of cold stress on crop cultivation. Low temperatures frequently occur early after planting in temperate climates and severely affect root development in cereals. In this review we address the question how cereal root systems respond to cold on different scales. First, we summarize the morphological, physiological and cellular responses of cereal roots to cold stress and how these processes are regulated by phytohormones. Subsequently, we highlight the status of the genetic and molecular dissection of cold tolerance with emphasis on the role of cold-responsive genes in improving cold tolerance in cereal roots. Finally, we discuss the role of beneficial microorganisms and mineral nutrients in ameliorating the effects of cold stress in cereal roots. A comprehensive knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying cold tolerance will ensure yield stability by enabling the generation of cold-tolerant crop genotypes.
PubMed: 34270744
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab334 -
The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine May 2019The Positron Emission Tomography Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (PERCIST) or European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) criteria are used to... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND/AIMS
The Positron Emission Tomography Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (PERCIST) or European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) criteria are used to assess metabolic tumor responses. However, tumor responses have shown considerable discrepancies between the morphologic criteria (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors [RECIST]) and metabolic criteria. We performed this pooled study to compare the RECIST and metabolic criteria in the assessment of tumor responses.
METHODS
Electronic databases were searched for eligible articles with the terms "RECIST," "PERCIST," or "EORTC criteria." The level of concordance in the tumor responses between the two criteria was estimated using κ statistics.
RESULTS
A total of 216 patients were collected from eight studies comparing the RECIST and EORTC criteria. The agreement of tumor responses between the two criteria was moderate (κ = 0.447). Eighty-six patients (39.8%) showed disagreement: tumor response was upgraded in 70 patients and downgraded in 16 when adopting the EORTC criteria. The EORTC criteria significantly increased the overall response rate (53% vs. 28%, p < 0.0001). The agreement of tumor responses between the RECIST and PERCIST was deemed fair (κ = 0.389). Of 407 patients from nine studies, 181 (44.5%) showed a discrepancy: using the PERCIST, tumor response were upgraded in 151 patients and downgraded in 30. When adopting the PERCIST, the overall response rate was also significantly increased from 30% to 55% (p < 0.0001).
CONCLUSION
This pooled analysis demonstrates that the concordance of tumor responses between the morphologic criteria and metabolic criteria is not excellent. When adopting the metabolic criteria instead of the RECIST, overall response rates were significantly increased.
Topics: Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Humans; Neoplasms; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Positron-Emission Tomography
PubMed: 29334722
DOI: 10.3904/kjim.2017.063 -
Seminars in Ophthalmology Aug 2021: This study aimed to identify optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers for predicting response to anti-VEGF treatment in diabetic macular edema (DME) Bilateral DME...
: This study aimed to identify optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers for predicting response to anti-VEGF treatment in diabetic macular edema (DME) Bilateral DME patients with asymmetric response to a loading dose of anti-VEGF (ranibizumab/aflibercept) treatment were retrospectively studied. The morphologic response criterion was central subfield thickness (CST) ≤300 µm; asymmetric response was defined as ≥10% difference in CST reduction between the eyes. The functional response criterion was an increase in logMAR acuity of ≥3 lines, with an increase below this threshold in the fellow eye considered asymmetric response. Relationships between final morphologic and functional responses to anti-VEGF therapy and baseline values of the following OCT-derived biomarkers were evaluated: DME subtype, CST, vitreoretinal interface anomalies, disorganization of the inner retinal layers (DRIL), external limiting membrane (ELM) disruption, ellipsoid zone (EZ) disruption, and subretinal fluid (SRF). After a loading dose of anti-VEGF, 31 eyes that met both morphologic and functional response criteria were classified as responders (RR) and 27 eyes that did not respond morphologically or functionally based on the defined criteria were classified as resistant (RT). Eyes that showed only functional (n = 5) or morphological response (n = 1) were excluded due to their small number. The presence of SRF or simple epiretinal membrane (ERM) was not associated with any difference in treatment responses ( > .05), while tractional ERM, extensive DRIL (≥500 µm), and ELM and EZ disruptions in the fovea-centered 1000-µm zone were important OCT biomarkers in predicting resistance ( < .001). A multilayer perceptron model ranked predictive power as 100% for ELM disruption, 51.7% for tractional ERM, 25.4% for DRIL, and 24.5% for EZ disruption. Extensive ELM disruption was the strongest OCT biomarker to predict anti-VEGF resistance, followed by tractional ERM. EZ disruption and DRIL had relatively lower predictive value.
Topics: Biomarkers; Diabetes Mellitus; Diabetic Retinopathy; Humans; Macular Edema; Retina; Retrospective Studies; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Visual Acuity
PubMed: 33780313
DOI: 10.1080/08820538.2021.1907423 -
International Journal of Molecular... Dec 2022Salt stress is an unfavorable outcome of global climate change, adversely affecting crop growth and yield. It is the second-biggest abiotic factor damaging the... (Review)
Review
Salt stress is an unfavorable outcome of global climate change, adversely affecting crop growth and yield. It is the second-biggest abiotic factor damaging the morphological, physio-biochemical, and molecular processes during seed germination and plant development. Salt responses include modulation of hormonal biosynthesis, ionic homeostasis, the antioxidant defense system, and osmoprotectants to mitigate salt stress. Plants trigger salt-responsive genes, proteins, and metabolites to cope with the damaging effects of a high salt concentration. Enhancing salt tolerance among crop plants is direly needed for sustainable global agriculture. Novel protein markers, which are used for crop improvement against salt stress, are identified using proteomic techniques. As compared to single-technique approaches, the integration of genomic tools and exogenously applied chemicals offers great potential in addressing salt-stress-induced challenges. The interplay of salt-responsive proteins and genes is the missing key of salt tolerance. The development of salt-tolerant crop varieties can be achieved by integrated approaches encompassing proteomics, metabolomics, genomics, and genome-editing tools. In this review, the current information about the morphological, physiological, and molecular mechanisms of salt response/tolerance in crops is summarized. The significance of proteomic approaches to improve salt tolerance in various crops is highlighted, and an integrated omics approach to achieve global food security is discussed. Novel proteins that respond to salt stress are potential candidates for future breeding of salt tolerance.
Topics: Proteomics; Plant Breeding; Crops, Agricultural; Genomics; Salt Tolerance; Stress, Physiological
PubMed: 36613963
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010518 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2015All biomaterials, when implanted , elicit cellular and tissue responses. These responses include the inflammatory and wound healing responses, foreign body reactions,... (Review)
Review
All biomaterials, when implanted , elicit cellular and tissue responses. These responses include the inflammatory and wound healing responses, foreign body reactions, and fibrous encapsulation of the implanted materials. Macrophages are myeloid immune cells that are tactically situated throughout the tissues, where they ingest and degrade dead cells and foreign materials in addition to orchestrating inflammatory processes. Macrophages and their fused morphologic variants, the multinucleated giant cells, which include the foreign body giant cells (FBGCs) are the dominant early responders to biomaterial implantation and remain at biomaterial-tissue interfaces for the lifetime of the device. An essential aspect of macrophage function in the body is to mediate degradation of bio-resorbable materials including bone through extracellular degradation and phagocytosis. Biomaterial surface properties play a crucial role in modulating the foreign body reaction in the first couple of weeks following implantation. The foreign body reaction may impact biocompatibility of implantation devices and may considerably impact short- and long-term success in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, necessitating a clear understanding of the foreign body reaction to different implantation materials. The focus of this review article is on the interactions of macrophages and foreign body giant cells with biomaterial surfaces, and the physical, chemical and morphological characteristics of biomaterial surfaces that play a role in regulating the foreign body response. Events in the foreign body response include protein adsorption, adhesion of monocytes/macrophages, fusion to form FBGCs, and the consequent modification of the biomaterial surface. The effect of physico-chemical cues on macrophages is not well known and there is a complex interplay between biomaterial properties and those that result from interactions with the local environment. By having a better understanding of the role of macrophages in the tissue healing processes, especially in events that follow biomaterial implantation, we can design novel biomaterials-based tissue-engineered constructs that elicit a favorable immune response upon implantation and perform for their intended applications.
PubMed: 28793529
DOI: 10.3390/ma8095269 -
ILAR Journal 2009Fish and other aquatic animals are subject to a broad variety of stressors because their homeostatic mechanisms are highly dependent on prevailing conditions in their...
Fish and other aquatic animals are subject to a broad variety of stressors because their homeostatic mechanisms are highly dependent on prevailing conditions in their immediate surroundings. Yet few studies have addressed stress as a potential confounding factor for bioassays that use fish as test subjects. Common stressors encountered by captive fish include physical and mental trauma associated with capture, transport, handling, and crowding; malnutrition; variations in water temperature, oxygen, and salinity; and peripheral effects of contaminant exposure or infectious disease. Some stress responses are detectable through gross or microscopic examination of various organs or tissues; as reported in the literature, stress responses are most consistently observed in the gills, liver, skin, and components of the urogenital tract. In addition to presenting examples of various stressors and corresponding morphologic effects, this review highlights certain challenges of evaluating stress in fish: (1) stress is an amorphous term that does not have a consistently applied definition; (2) procedures used to determine or measure stress can be inherently stressful; (3) interactions between stressors and stress responses are highly complex; and (4) morphologically, stress responses are often difficult to distinguish from tissue damage or compensatory adaptations induced specifically by the stressor. Further investigations are necessary to more precisely define the role of stress in the interpretation of fish research results.
Topics: Animals; Fishes; Handling, Psychological; Salinity; Stress, Physiological; Temperature
PubMed: 19949254
DOI: 10.1093/ilar.50.4.387 -
Nanoscale Nov 2018Living organisms have evolved functional structures for seeds dispersal in response to humidity changes. In this study, we construct moisture-responsive nanotubes by the...
Living organisms have evolved functional structures for seeds dispersal in response to humidity changes. In this study, we construct moisture-responsive nanotubes by the supramolecular coordination of a peptide lipid with metal ions for potential applications in material delivery systems. These hydrophilic nanotubes can uptake atmospheric moisture and the water molecules are associated with unsaturated metal centers of the bis(lipid)-metal(ii) complex, thereby changing the molecular packing and inducing morphological transformation from nanotubes to sheets. The moisture responsivity of nanotubes depends on the hydration behavior of the metal ions. Co(ii)-coordinated nanotube shows higher moisture responsivity than that of the Zn(ii)-coordinated one since Co(ii) ion has stronger association with water molecules. These two nanotubes are self-assembled by the same molecular packings; however, they show different mechanisms in morphological changes. The Co(ii)-coordinated nanotube transforms into a sheet accompanied with the destruction of the complex and reverse molecular packing, whereas Zn(ii)-coordinated nanotube transforms into a sheet with a change in the complex geometry. Further, the Co(ii)-coordinated nanotubes exhibit reversible morphological changes between nanotubes and sheets, while Zn(ii)-coordinated nanotubes exhibit a one-way morphological change. These nanotubes also show potential applications in the release of fragrance oil under high humidity environments.
PubMed: 30375630
DOI: 10.1039/c8nr05748f