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Bulletin of Experimental Biology and... Jul 2024In sexually mature male Wistar rats with modeled post-traumatic stress disorder, personalized characteristics of neurobiological reactions in the population of...
In sexually mature male Wistar rats with modeled post-traumatic stress disorder, personalized characteristics of neurobiological reactions in the population of predator-induced stress-resilient and stress-susceptible heparinized animals were determined. Characteristics of the systemic response of immune mechanisms, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, behavioral manifestations, as well as basic properties of the CNS (excitation/inhibition) are presented. The study demonstrated encouraging positive results of the course administration of unfractionated heparin at a dose below the therapeutic and prophylactic doses. The inclusion of heparin drugs into the clinical practice for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder will not require large-scale clinical trials, because many effects of heparin as a nonspecific adaptogen are well studied. Moreover, these properties were confirmed at a higher technological level during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PubMed: 38954296
DOI: 10.1007/s10517-024-06120-0 -
Bulletin of Experimental Biology and... Jul 2024Spatial learning, memory, and reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system (HPA axis) were studied in adult male rats, whose mothers during pregnancy...
Spatial learning, memory, and reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system (HPA axis) were studied in adult male rats, whose mothers during pregnancy were subjected to acute moderate normobaric hypoxia, or repeated injections of buspirone, an agonist of type 1A serotonergic receptors (5HT1A), or their combination. Prenatal treatment with buspirone in rats with prenatal hypoxia impaired learning ability during the first day of 5-day training. A decrease in the effectiveness of long-term memory in comparison with short-term memory was revealed in two groups of rats: prenatal treatment with buspirone in combination with hypoxia and injection of physiological saline without hypoxia. The effectiveness of long-term memory and the level of corticosterone in response to stress did not differ between the groups, which can indicate adaptation of the 5HT1A receptor and the HPA axis to the prenatal buspirone and normobaric hypoxia during ontogeny.
PubMed: 38954295
DOI: 10.1007/s10517-024-06121-z -
Medical & Biological Engineering &... Jul 2024Diastolic vortex ring (VR) plays a key role in the blood-pumping function exerted by the left ventricle (LV), with altered VR structures being associated with LV...
Diastolic vortex ring (VR) plays a key role in the blood-pumping function exerted by the left ventricle (LV), with altered VR structures being associated with LV dysfunction. Herein, we sought to characterize the VR diastolic alterations in ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) patients with systo-diastolic LV dysfunction, as compared to healthy controls, in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of LV diastolic function. 4D Flow MRI data were acquired in ICM patients (n = 15) and healthy controls (n = 15). The λ method was used to extract VRs during early and late diastolic filling. Geometrical VR features, e.g., circularity index (CI), orientation (α), and inclination with respect to the LV outflow tract (ß), were extracted. Kinetic energy (KE), rate of viscous energy loss ( ), vorticity (W), and volume (V) were computed for each VR; the ratios with the respective quantities computed for the entire LV were derived. At peak E-wave, the VR was less circular (p = 0.032), formed a smaller α with the LV long-axis (p = 0.003) and a greater ß (p = 0.002) in ICM patients as compared to controls. At peak A-wave, CI was significantly increased (p = 0.034), while α was significantly smaller (p = 0.016) and β was significantly increased (p = 0.036) in ICM as compared to controls. At both peak E-wave and peak A-wave, , W/W, and V/V significantly decreased in ICM patients vs. healthy controls. KE/V showed a significant decrease in ICM patients with respect to controls at peak E-wave, while V remained comparable between normal and pathologic conditions. In the analyzed ICM patients, the diastolic VRs showed alterations in terms of geometry and energetics. These derangements might be attributed to both structural and functional alterations affecting the infarcted wall region and the remote myocardium.
PubMed: 38954265
DOI: 10.1007/s11517-024-03154-4 -
Molecular Neurobiology Jul 2024Insomnia is a typical type of sleep disorder. Huanglian Wendan Decoction (HWD) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with the effects of regulating Qi, drying dampness...
Insomnia is a typical type of sleep disorder. Huanglian Wendan Decoction (HWD) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with the effects of regulating Qi, drying dampness and resolving phlegm, calming the mind, and relieving irritation. This study aims to investigate the effect of HWD on insomnia in rats and its mechanism. Para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA)-induced insomnia in rats was used for in vivo experiments and then treated with HWD. Behavioral tests, Western blot, real-time PCR, immunofluorescent staining, 16S rRNA sequencing were conducted. The content of SCFAs was determined by GC-MS. Acetic acid-pretreated rat hippocampal nerve cells were used for in vitro experiments. The results showed that HWD significantly improved the learning memory ability, decreased sleep latency, and prolonged sleep duration in insomniac rats. HWD reduced TNF-α and IL-6 levels and increased IL-10 and Foxp3 levels. HWD also promoted the polarization of macrophages from M1 pro-inflammatory phenotype to M2 anti-inflammatory phenotype. In addition, HWD increased the expression levels of BDNF and TrkB in the hippocampus. Administration of the TrkB receptor agonist 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) confirmed the mechanism by which HWD activates BDNF/TrkB signaling to ameliorate insomnia. Furthermore, HWD restored gut microbiota richness and diversity and promoted short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in insomniac rats. In vitro experiments confirmed that the acetic acid-treated SCFA group could activate the BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway in neuronal cells, further promoting neuronal cell growth. In conclusion, HWD alleviated insomnia by maintaining gut microbiota homeostasis, promoting SCFA production, reducing neuroinflammatory response and microglia activation, and activating BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway.
PubMed: 38954253
DOI: 10.1007/s12035-024-04330-1 -
Japanese Journal of Radiology Jul 2024Collimator-detector response function (CDRF) of a SPECT scanner refers to the image generated from a point source of activity. This research aims to characterize the...
PURPOSE
Collimator-detector response function (CDRF) of a SPECT scanner refers to the image generated from a point source of activity. This research aims to characterize the CDRF of a breast-dedicated SPECT imager equipped with a lofthole collimator using GATE Monte Carlo simulation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
To do so, a cylindrical multi-lofthole collimation system with lofthole apertures dedicated to breast imaging was modeled using the GATE Monte Carlo simulator. The dependency of the CDRF on the source-to-collimator distance of a single-lofthole as well as 8-lofthole collimations was assessed and then compared. In addition, the 3D-sensitivity map of the 8-lofthole collimation was derived. Finally, fair comparisons were conducted between the response of the 8-lofthole collimator and that of an 8-pinhole and also existing analytical derivations. In all cases, a data acquisition period of 5.0 min with an in-air Tc point source was considered.
RESULTS
For the single-lofthole collimator, 4.5 times increasing the magnification factor leads to a 16- and twofold improvement in the sensitivity and spatial resolution, respectively. In the single-lofthole collimator, the resolution and sensitivity are degraded as the source-to-aperture distance increases. For the cylindrical 8-lofthole collimator, the findings confirm that CDRF strongly depends on source-to-aperture distance and angle of photon incidence. For a 30 mm in-plane offset point, a 25% increase in sensitivity is observed compared to that of the center of the FOV. Increasing the angle from 0 to 34 results in a 50% reduction in sensitivity. Furthermore, the findings illustrate that spatial resolution follows a quadratic function as where d is an offset along the x-, y-, and z-axis, and R is the spatial resolution at the center of the FOV.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, both spatial resolution and sensitivity of the lofthole collimation are considerably angle- and offset-dependent within the FOV of single- and multi-lofthole collimated SPECT imagers.
PubMed: 38954193
DOI: 10.1007/s11604-024-01624-1 -
Journal of Plant Research Jul 2024We have performed a lab-based hypergravity cultivation experiment using a centrifuge equipped with a lighting system and examined long-term effects of hypergravity on...
We have performed a lab-based hypergravity cultivation experiment using a centrifuge equipped with a lighting system and examined long-term effects of hypergravity on the development of the main axis of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.) primary inflorescence, which comprises the rachis and peduncle, collectively referred to as the main stem for simplicity. Plants grown under 1 × g (gravitational acceleration on Earth) conditions for 20-23 days and having the first visible flower bud were exposed to hypergravity at 8 × g for 10 days. We analyzed the effect of prolonged hypergravity conditions on growth, lignin deposition, and tissue anatomy of the main stem. As a result, the length of the main stem decreased and cross-sectional area, dry mass per unit length, cell number, and lignin content of the main stem significantly increased under hypergravity. Lignin content in the rosette leaves also increased when they were exposed to hypergravity during their development. Except for interfascicular fibers, cross-sectional areas of the tissues composing the internode significantly increased under hypergravity in most types of the tissues in the basal part than the apical part of the main stem, indicating that the effect of hypergravity is more pronounced in the basal part than the apical part. The number of cells in the fascicular cambium and xylem significantly increased under hypergravity both in the apical and basal internodes of the main stem, indicating a possibility that hypergravity stimulates procambium activity to produce xylem element more than phloem element. The main stem was suggested to be strengthened through changes in its morphological characteristics as well as lignin deposition under prolonged hypergravity conditions.
PubMed: 38954119
DOI: 10.1007/s10265-024-01556-x -
Journal of Molecular Modeling Jul 2024The bandgap modulation and electronic properties modulation of two-dimensional HfSiN monolayer induced by strain, electric field and atomic adsorption are studied by...
The bandgap modulation and electronic properties modulation of two-dimensional HfSiN monolayer induced by strain, electric field and atomic adsorption are studied by first principles. The HfSiN monolayer was found to be dynamically, thermally, and mechanically stable at equilibrium, and it is a direct semiconductor with a bandgap of 1.87 eV. The bandgap of the HfSiN monolayer can be precisely modulated by strain. Under the action of strain, HfSiN monolayer not only transforms from direct semiconductor to indirect semiconductor, but also improves the absorption of visible light. An external electric field in the 0-0.5 eV/Å range can also modulate the bandgap of HfSiN monolayer from 1.87 eV to 0 eV, and most importantly, at an external electric field of 0.5 eV/Å, HfSiN monolayer shows the characteristics of spin gapless semiconductor. The calculated adsorption energy shows that the structures of H, O and F atoms adsorbed by HfSiN monolayer can all exist stably. The bandgap of the configuration after adsorption of O and F atoms is significantly reduced compared with that of HfSiN monolayer. Furthermore, the HfSiN monolayer after adsorption of H and F atoms is transformed into a magnetic semiconductor. METHOD: All calculations were performed using Vienna ab initial simulation package, The electronic structure, mechanical properties, electronic properties and other properties were carried out using generalized gradient approximation (GGA-PBE), supplemented by HSE06 and GGA + U. The total-energy and force convergence are less than 10 eV and 0.001 eV/Å, respectively. The vacuum on the z-axis is selected 20 Å. The vdW interactions were corrected using the Grimme scheme (DFT-D3).
PubMed: 38954080
DOI: 10.1007/s00894-024-06042-8 -
International Ophthalmology Jul 2024Investigate the most appropriate mathematical formula to objectively express upper eyelid contour symmetry.
PURPOSE
Investigate the most appropriate mathematical formula to objectively express upper eyelid contour symmetry.
METHODS
62 eyes of 31 patients were included in the study. The upper eyelid contour symmetry of the patients was classified subjectively (independent of MRD1) as poor, acceptable, and good by three oculoplastic specialists (senior, expert, and junior surgeon). Bézier curves of the upper lid contour were drawn with ImageJ software (NIH, Bethesda, MA, USA). Using the algorithms created by Author SKC in Spyder (Python 3.7.9.), the symmetry of the Bézier curves of the left eyelids were obtained according to the y-axis, and the mid-pupils of both eyes were superimposed. The lower curve moved vertically to the equal height of the other curve to equalize MRD1's. R (Coefficient of determination), RMSE (Root-mean-square error), MSE (Mean squared error), POC (Percentage of co-efficiency), and MAE (Mean absolute error) were calculated. We evaluated the correlation between these objective formulas and the subjective grading of three surgeons using Spearman's rho (ρ).
RESULTS
The correlation coefficient of RMSE and MSE were the same for all surgeons grading. There was a strong correlation between the senior surgeon's subjective scoring (N; poor = 8, acceptable = 16, good = 8) and R, RMSE, POC, MAE (ρ = 0.643, p < 0.001, ρ = -0.607, p < 0.001, ρ = 0.562, p < 0.001, ρ = -0.517, p < 0.001, respectively). We found a strong relationship between the expert surgeon's subjective scoring (N; poor = 9, acceptable = 13, good:10) and R (ρ = 0.611, p < 0.001), RMSE (ρ = -0.549, p < 0.001), POC (ρ = 0.511, p < 0.001), and MAE (ρ = -0.450, p < 0.05). We found a strong correlation between junior surgeon's subjective scoring (N; poor = 6, acceptable = 18, good = 8) and R, RMSE, and POC (ρ: -0.517, p < 0.001; ρ: -0.470, p < 0.001; ρ: 0.521, p < 0.001; respectively) and moderate correlation between MAE (ρ:-0.394, p < 0.05). The highest correlation is observed with R.
CONCLUSIONS
RMSE, MSE, POC, MAE, and especially R, may quantitatively express upper eyelid contour symmetry, comparable with the oculoplastic surgeon. The highest correlation was observed between the senior surgeon and R, and decreases with the experience of the surgeon.
Topics: Humans; Eyelids; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Algorithms; Aged; Adult; Blepharoplasty
PubMed: 38954051
DOI: 10.1007/s10792-024-03157-y -
Molecular Cancer Research : MCR Jul 2024Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the predominant tumors of the female reproductive system. In this current study, we investigated the functions and related mechanisms...
Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the predominant tumors of the female reproductive system. In this current study, we investigated the functions and related mechanisms of NAP1L1/DDX5 in EC. This retrospective study analyzed the medical records of EC patients, collected tissue samples for NAP1L1 and DDX5 staining, and conducted survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method. To evaluate the impact of NAP1L1 and/or DDX5 on cellular processes in EC cells, several techniques were employed. These included CCK-8 assay, wound healing assay, Transwell assay, as well as overexpression or knockdown of target gene expression. Additionally, ChIP, dual luciferase reporter gene, Co-IP assay were utilized to confirm the interaction between NAP1L1, EP300 and DDX5. Furthermore, qRT-PCR, western blot and Co-IP assay were performed to analyze the modulation of NAP1L1/DDX5 in Wnt/β-catenin. NAP1L1 and DDX5 expression were upregulated in EC tissues, and correlated with poor prognosis. NAP1L1/DDX5 promoted EC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. NAP1L1 promotes acetylation and transcription by recruiting EP300 to the DDX5 promoter. DDX5 could activate Wnt/β-catenin signal by binding to β-catenin. In animal models, knockdown of NAP1L1 inhibits EC tumor growth and lung metastasis. To sum up, our study demonstrated that NAP1L1 promoted the malignant phenotypes of EC cells via recruiting EP300 to promote DDX5 acetylation, thus activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Implications: Our research findings indicate that targeting the NAP1L1/EP300/DX5 axis might be a new potential treatment option for endometrial cancer.
PubMed: 38953887
DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-23-0871 -
Ophthalmic Genetics Jul 2024Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) is a rare autosomal recessive ciliopathy. Within corneal development, primary cilia serve a critical role. We sought to investigate the...
PURPOSE
Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) is a rare autosomal recessive ciliopathy. Within corneal development, primary cilia serve a critical role. We sought to investigate the association of BBS with corneal astigmatism among a cohort of patients with BBS.
METHODS
This was a cross-sectional, retrospective study performed at a pediatric ophthalmology department of a tertiary hospital. The study enrolled 45 patients with genetically confirmed Bardet-Biedl syndrome, encompassing a total of 90 eyes observed from February 2011 to August 2021. Spherical and cylindrical refractive errors and keratometry outcome measures, including diopter (D) values at the flattest and steepest axes, were recorded. Corneal astigmatism of greater than 3D is considered extreme corneal astigmatism based on previously published data.
RESULTS
Among 45 patients (M:26; F:19), the mean age was 16.4 ± 8.2 years, and the mean best-corrected visual acuity was 20/60. The most common molecular diagnosis was , seen in 24 of 45 (53.3%). Among all the patients, the mean spherical refractive error was -2.9 ± 3.8D. The mean cylindrical refractive error was 2.6 ± 1.5D. The mean keratometry values at the flattest axis was 43.5 ± 5.3D (39.4-75.0) and at the steepest axis was 47.2 ± 7.3D(41.5-84.0). Among all the patients with BBS, the mean corneal astigmatism was 3.7 ± 1.0D(0.5-7.1), which is considered extreme.
CONCLUSION
A cohort of individuals with BBS demonstrated high corneal astigmatism. These results suggest an association between corneal astigmatism and primary ciliary dysfunction and may assist in clinical management and future therapeutic targets among BBS and other corneal disorders.
PubMed: 38953718
DOI: 10.1080/13816810.2024.2357296