Summary Objective Although anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a well-recognized risk factor for developing knee post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), the process in the patellofemoral (PF) ...joint after ACL injury is still under-researched. Our aim was to investigate the perfusion changes in PF subchondral bone marrow in the rat ACL transection (ACLX) model of PTOA using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). Design Eighteen male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly separated into three groups ( n = 6 each group): a normal control group and groups receiving ACLX and sham-surgery, respectively, in the right knee. Perfusion parameters in the patellar and femoral subchondral bone marrows of all rats were measured on DCE-MRI at 0, 4, 8, and 16 weeks after respective treatment. After the last MRI at week 16, the rats were sacrificed and their right knees were harvested for histologic examination. In addition, to observe the long-term histologic change in PF joints, 9 additional rats ( n = 3 in each group) were included and sacrificed at week 32 for histologic examination. Results In the ACLX group vs the sham and control groups, the perfusion parameters were significantly changed in both patellar and femoral subchondral bone marrows at week 16. Histologic examination revealed cartilage defects in ACLX rats at 32 weeks after surgery. Conclusions These data point to a possible functional relationship between subchondral bone marrow perfusion abnormalities and cartilage breakdown in PTOA. Moreover, the perfusion parameters derived from DCE-MRI can potentially serve as biomarkers of early OA.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
To evaluate the contribution of non-synonymous-coding variants of known familial and genome-wide association studies (GWAS)-linked genes for Parkinson's disease (PD) to PD risk in the East Asian ...population, we sequenced all the coding exons of 39 PD-related disease genes and evaluated the accumulation of rare non-synonymous-coding variants in 375 early-onset PD cases and 399 controls. We also genotyped 782 non-synonymous-coding variants of these genes in 710 late-onset PD cases and 9046 population controls. Significant enrichment of LRRK2 variants was observed in both early- and late-onset PD (odds ratio = 1.58; 95% confidence interval = 1.29-1.93; P = 8.05 × 10(-6)). Moderate enrichment was also observed in FGF20, MCCC1, GBA and ITGA8. Half of the rare variants anticipated to cause loss of function of these genes were present in healthy controls. Overall, non-synonymous-coding variants of known familial and GWAS-linked genes appear to make a limited contribution to PD risk, suggesting that clinical sequencing of these genes will provide limited information for risk prediction and molecular diagnosis.
Poly-l-lysine (PLL) enhances nanoparticle (NP) uptake, but the molecular mechanism remains unresolved. We asked whether PLL may interact with negatively charged glycoconjugates on the cell surface ...and facilitate uptake of magnetic NPs (MNPs) by tumor cells.
PLL-coated MNPs (PLL-MNPs) with positive and negative ζ-potential were prepared and characterized. Confocal and transmission electron microscopy was used to analyze cellular internalization of MNPs. A colorimetric iron assay was used to quantitate cell-associated MNPs (MNP
).
Coadministration of PLL and dextran-coated MNPs in culture enhanced cellular internalization of MNPs, with increased vesicle size and numbers/cell. MNP
was increased by eight- to 12-fold in response to PLL in a concentration-dependent manner in human glioma and HeLa cells. However, the application of a magnetic field attenuated PLL-induced increase in MNP
. PLL-coating increased MNP
regardless of ζ-potential of PLL-MNPs, whereas magnetic force did not enhance MNP
. In contrast, epigallocatechin gallate and magnetic force synergistically enhanced PLL-MNP uptake. In addition, heparin, but not sialic acid, greatly reduced the enhancement effects of PLL; however, removal of heparan sulfate from heparan sulfate proteoglycans of the cell surface by heparinase III significantly reduced MNP
.
Our results suggest that PLL-heparan sulfate proteoglycan interaction may be the first step mediating PLL-MNP internalization by tumor cells. Given these results, PLL may facilitate NP interaction with tumor cells via a molecular mechanism shared by infection machinery of certain viruses.
Hyperhomocysteinemia is regarded as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disorders. Although renal dysfunction or failure is one of the important factors causing hyperhomocysteinemia, the ...role of homocysteine (Hcy) in the development of glomerulosclerosis is largely unknown. One of the key events in the pathogenesis of glomerulosclerosis is the infiltration of circulating monocytes into affected glomeruli. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of Hcy on the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in kidney mesangial cells and the mechanisms involved. Levels of MCP-1 and mRNA were significantly elevated in Hcy-treated rat mesangial cells. This increase was associated with activation of NF- κB as a result of increased phosphorylation of the inhibitor protein I κB α. Monocyte chemotactic activity in these cells was also enhanced. In addition, there was a significant elevation of superoxide anion produced by Hcy-treated cells, which preceded the increased phosphorylation of I κB α. Addition of superoxide dismutase or NF- κB inhibitors to the culture medium abolished Hcy-induced NF- κB activation and MCP-1 expression. Taken together, these results indicate that Hcy induced MCP-1 expression in mesangial cells. Such a process was mediated by oxidative stress and NF- κB activation. This may further aggravate renal function in patients with hyperhomocysteinemia.
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DOBA, FSPLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Soy sauce has been widely used as one of the main seasoning agents in Asian countries. Soy sauce is produced by two-steps fermentation processes, namely koji fermentation and moromi fermentation. In ...this study, different temperatures (25, 35 and 45C) for moromi fermentation in bioreactor were investigated for understanding their influences on soya sauce quality, in terms of pH variations, ethanol concentrations and total nitrogen contents in raw soy sauce during moromi fermentation. It was learned that as the aging of moromi took place, the pH level was decreased from pH 7 to 4.88. Also, the soy sauce had lower concentration of ethanol when higher temperature was used in moromi fermentation but the difference of temperature did not show significantly effect on total nitrogen content in soy sauce. This study indicated that the temperature used in the moromi fermentation, coupled with intermittent aeration, imposed significant effects on soy sauce aging and quality. Higher fermentation temperature of 45C enhanced the aging of soy sauce, accompanying with lower contents of ethanol and higher pH level in soy sauce. However, the total nitrogen content in the soy sauce was not significantly influenced by the fermentation temperature.
This study showed the complex interactions of alloying elements and their prevailing microstructure on the pitting corrosion. This interaction was illustrated by electrochemical tests of three grades ...of wrought duplex stainless steels. It was shown that SAF2507 had the highest pitting potential, followed by SAF2205 and SAF2304. However, SAF2205 had higher corrosion potential than SAF2507. SAF2205 and SAF2507 were immune to pitting, while SAF2304 was susceptible to pitting. It was also found in the experiment that the austenite-ferrite interface was the most susceptible to corrosion, followed by the austenite and finally the ferrite phase.
CMOS-MEMS pyroelectric detectors based on 12%-doped ScAlN are fabricated using 8-inch MEMS wafer technology and characterized. The ScAlN pyroelectric material is deposited at a low temperature of ...~200 o C. The results show D* as high as 4.3 x 10 7 (cm√Hz)/W and NEP as low as 1.26 x 10 -9 W/√Hz. This is the first demonstration of a functional CMOS-MEMS pyroelectric detector using ScAlN as the pyroelectric sensing material. Compared to AlN that usually presents D* in the range of 10 5 -10 6 , Sc-doped AlN brings on the promise of better performing CMOS-MEMS pyroelectric detectors that could be miniaturized, integrated with CMOS circuits and provide wider applications.
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