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Open Biology Jun 2018Multisensory integration is a mechanism that allows organisms to simultaneously sense and understand external stimuli from different modalities. These distinct signals... (Review)
Review
Multisensory integration is a mechanism that allows organisms to simultaneously sense and understand external stimuli from different modalities. These distinct signals are transduced into neuronal signals that converge into decision-making neuronal entities. Such decision-making centres receive information through neuromodulators regarding the organism's physiological state and accordingly trigger behavioural responses. Despite the importance of multisensory integration for efficient functioning of the nervous system, and also the implication of dysfunctional multisensory integration in the aetiology of neuropsychiatric disease, little is known about the relative molecular mechanisms. is an appropriate model system to study such mechanisms and elucidate the molecular ways through which organisms understand external environments in an accurate and coherent fashion.
Topics: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Mechanotransduction, Cellular; Models, Biological; Neuromuscular Junction; Sensory Receptor Cells
PubMed: 29925633
DOI: 10.1098/rsob.180049 -
Biosensors Dec 2022Organs-on-chips (OoCs) are microfluidic devices that contain bioengineered tissues or parts of natural tissues or organs and can mimic the crucial structures and... (Review)
Review
Organs-on-chips (OoCs) are microfluidic devices that contain bioengineered tissues or parts of natural tissues or organs and can mimic the crucial structures and functions of living organisms. They are designed to control and maintain the cell- and tissue-specific microenvironment while also providing detailed feedback about the activities that are taking place. Bioprinting is an emerging technology for constructing artificial tissues or organ constructs by combining state-of-the-art 3D printing methods with biomaterials. The utilization of 3D bioprinting and cells patterning in OoC technologies reinforces the creation of more complex structures that can imitate the functions of a living organism in a more precise way. Here, we summarize the current 3D bioprinting techniques and we focus on the advantages of 3D bioprinting compared to traditional cell seeding in addition to the methods, materials, and applications of 3D bioprinting in the development of OoC microsystems.
Topics: Tissue Engineering; Bioprinting; Microphysiological Systems; Biocompatible Materials; Printing, Three-Dimensional
PubMed: 36551101
DOI: 10.3390/bios12121135 -
Rejuvenation Research 2010According to the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, when Eos asked Zeus for Tithonus to be granted immortality, she forgot to ask for eternal youth. Applied Healthspan... (Review)
Review
According to the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, when Eos asked Zeus for Tithonus to be granted immortality, she forgot to ask for eternal youth. Applied Healthspan Engineering (AHE) seeks to address this problem. All organisms have a minimal level of functional reserve required to sustain life that eventually declines to a point incompatible with survival at death. AHE seeks to maintain or restore optimal functional reserve of critical tissues and organs. Tissue reserve correlates with well being. Diet, physical exercise, and currently available small-molecule-based therapeutics may attenuate the rate of decline of specific organs or organ systems, but are unlikely to restore lost reserve. Inherent evolutionary-derived limitations in tissue homeostasis and cell maintenance necessitate the development of therapies to enhance regenerative processes and possibly replace whole organs or tissues. AHE supports the study of cell, tissue, and organ homeostatic mechanisms to derive new regenerative and tissue replacement therapies to extend the period of human health.
Topics: Age Factors; Aging; Animal Structures; Animals; Bioengineering; Energy Metabolism; Health Status; Humans; Longevity; Models, Biological; Quality of Life; Regeneration
PubMed: 20462384
DOI: 10.1089/rej.2009.0969 -
General and Comparative Endocrinology Feb 2018This review analyzes what could be regarded as the "clandestine organs" of the endocrine system: the gut microbiome, the immune system, and the stress system. The immune... (Review)
Review
This review analyzes what could be regarded as the "clandestine organs" of the endocrine system: the gut microbiome, the immune system, and the stress system. The immune system is very closely related to the endocrine system, with many intertwined processes and signals. Many researchers now consider the microbiome as an 'organ' that affects the organism at many different levels. While stress is certainly not an organ, it affects so many processes, including endocrine-related processes, that the stress response system deserved a special section in this review. Understanding the connections, effects, and feedback mechanisms between the different "clandestine organs" and the endocrine system will provide us with a better understanding of how an organism functions, as well as reinforce the idea that there are no independent organs or systems, but a complex, interacting network of molecules, cells, tissues, signaling pathways, and mechanisms that constitute an individual.
Topics: Endocrine System; Humans; Immune System
PubMed: 28822775
DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2017.08.017 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2022Neuromorphic engineering aims to build (autonomous) systems by mimicking biological systems. It is motivated by the observation that biological organisms-from algae to... (Review)
Review
Neuromorphic engineering aims to build (autonomous) systems by mimicking biological systems. It is motivated by the observation that biological organisms-from algae to primates-excel in sensing their environment, reacting promptly to their perils and opportunities. Furthermore, they do so more resiliently than our most advanced machines, at a fraction of the power consumption. It follows that the performance of neuromorphic systems should be evaluated in terms of real-time operation, power consumption, and resiliency to real-world perturbations and noise using task-relevant evaluation metrics. Yet, following in the footsteps of conventional machine learning, most neuromorphic benchmarks rely on recorded datasets that foster sensing accuracy as the primary measure for performance. Sensing accuracy is but an arbitrary proxy for the actual system's goal-taking a good decision in a timely manner. Moreover, static datasets hinder our ability to study and compare closed-loop sensing and control strategies that are central to survival for biological organisms. This article makes the case for a renewed focus on closed-loop benchmarks involving real-world tasks. Such benchmarks will be crucial in developing and progressing neuromorphic Intelligence. The shift towards dynamic real-world benchmarking tasks should usher in richer, more resilient, and robust artificially intelligent systems in the future.
PubMed: 35237122
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.813555 -
Nature Aging Jan 2021Aging has largely been defined by analog measures of organ and organismal dysfunction. This has led to the characterization of aging processes at the molecular and...
Aging has largely been defined by analog measures of organ and organismal dysfunction. This has led to the characterization of aging processes at the molecular and cellular levels that underlie these gradual changes. However, current knowledge does not fully explain the growing body of data emerging from large epidemiological, systems biology, and single cell studies of entire organisms pointing to varied rates of aging between individuals (different functionality and lifespan), across lifespan (asynchronous aging), and within an organism at the tissue and organ levels (aging mosaicism). Here we consider these inhomogeneities in the broader context of the rate of aging and from the perspective of underlying cellular changes. These changes reflect genetic, environmental, and stochastic factors that cells integrate to adopt new homeostatic, albeit less functional, states, such as cellular senescence. In this sense, cellular aging can be viewed, at least in part, as a quantal process we refer to as "digital aging". Nevertheless, analog declines of tissue dysfunction and organ failure with age could be the sum of underlying digital events. Importantly, cellular aging, digital or otherwise, is not uniform across time or space within the organism or between organisms of the same species. Certain tissues may exhibit earliest signs of cellular aging, acting as drivers for organismal aging as signals from those driver cells within those tissues may accelerate the aging of other cells locally or even systemically. Advanced methodologies at the systems level and at the single cell level are likely to continue to refine our understanding to the processes of how cells and tissues age and how the integration of those processes leads to the complexities of individual, organismal aging.
Topics: Humans; Aging; Cellular Senescence; Longevity
PubMed: 34223194
DOI: 10.1038/s43587-020-00015-1 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024Protein glycosylation is an extensively studied field, with the most studied forms being oxygen or nitrogen-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc or N-GlcNAc)... (Review)
Review
Protein glycosylation is an extensively studied field, with the most studied forms being oxygen or nitrogen-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc or N-GlcNAc) glycosylation. Particular residues on proteins are targeted by O-GlcNAcylation, which is among the most intricate post-translational modifications. Significantly contributing to an organism's proteome, it influences numerous factors affecting protein stability, function, and subcellular localization. It also modifies the cellular function of target proteins that have crucial responsibilities in controlling pathways related to the central nervous system, cardiovascular homeostasis, and other organ functions. Under conditions of acute stress, changes in the levels of O-GlcNAcylation of these proteins may have a defensive function. Nevertheless, deviant O-GlcNAcylation nullifies this safeguard and stimulates the advancement of several ailments, the prognosis of which relies on the cellular milieu. Hence, this review provides a concise overview of the function and comprehension of O-GlcNAcylation in ischemia diseases, aiming to facilitate the discovery of new therapeutic targets for efficient treatment, particularly in patients with diabetes.
PubMed: 38783961
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1377235 -
Circulation. Cardiovascular Imaging Apr 2017Cardiovascular diseases are a consequence of genetic and environmental risk factors that together generate arterial wall and cardiac pathologies. Blood vessels connect... (Review)
Review
Cardiovascular diseases are a consequence of genetic and environmental risk factors that together generate arterial wall and cardiac pathologies. Blood vessels connect multiple systems throughout the entire body and allow organs to interact via circulating messengers. These same interactions facilitate nervous and metabolic system's influence on cardiovascular health. Multiparametric imaging offers the opportunity to study these interfacing systems' distinct processes, to quantify their interactions, and to explore how these contribute to cardiovascular disease. Noninvasive multiparametric imaging techniques are emerging tools that can further our understanding of this complex and dynamic interplay. Positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging and multichannel optical imaging are particularly promising because they can simultaneously sample multiple biomarkers. Preclinical multiparametric diagnostics could help discover clinically relevant biomarker combinations pivotal for understanding cardiovascular disease. Interfacing systems important to cardiovascular disease include the immune, nervous, and hematopoietic systems. These systems connect with classical cardiovascular organs, such as the heart and vasculature, and with the brain. The dynamic interplay between these systems and organs enables processes, such as hemostasis, inflammation, angiogenesis, matrix remodeling, metabolism, and fibrosis. As the opportunities provided by imaging expand, mapping interconnected systems will help us decipher the complexity of cardiovascular disease and monitor novel therapeutic strategies.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cardiovascular System; Genetic Markers; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Hematopoietic System; Humans; Inflammation Mediators; Multimodal Imaging; Neuroimmunomodulation; Phenotype; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Systems Biology; Systems Integration
PubMed: 28360260
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.116.005613 -
Hellenic Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2023Personalized dosimetry is tending to become the "gold standard" in Molecular Radiotherapy (MRT). Setting up carefully all the procedures involved in the workflow is...
INTRODUCTION
Personalized dosimetry is tending to become the "gold standard" in Molecular Radiotherapy (MRT). Setting up carefully all the procedures involved in the workflow is crucial for the final clinical result.
AIM
Individualized MRT dosimetry using a recently installed commercial system, comprising of a dual SPECT/CT camera, a treatment planning software (TPS) and a dose calibrator was implemented on patients undergoing Lu-DOTATATE and Lu-PSMA therapies. The clinical workflow implemented in our department is presented in detail. Measurement and calculation of the Calibration Factor (CF) to translate the count rate into activity concentration (quantitative data), and system's commissioning, was discussed.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Calibration of the dose calibrator, the SPECT/CT system and the TPS, measured using the clinical acquisition protocol, were analyzed along with potential errors introduced by the procedure and means of future optimization. In addition, image acquisition parameters, image reconstruction and image registration were discussed. Anatomical contouring of the organs at risk (OARs) and functional contouring of the lesions, followed by the dose calculation of the aforementioned structures, with the use of different calculation algorithms, were presented, compared and evaluated.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
According to our experience, different fitting of each organ's activity curve, results in differences in the final calculated dose. Use of bi-exponential fitting seems to better approach physical and metabolic decay. Calculated absorbed doses for the OARs were found similar to those expected from literature. Finally, department's future work was discussed, including reproducible patient setup for image acquisition, high dose CT for finer contouring and comparison of the calculated doses with other TPSs.
Topics: Humans; Radiometry; Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Computed Tomography; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Radiotherapy Dosage; Algorithms
PubMed: 37658554
DOI: No ID Found