Abstract Two major populations of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC), namely endothelial colony forming cells (ECFC, or late outgrowth EPC) and circulating angiogenic cells (CAC, or early outgrowth ...EPC) have been reported to play important roles in vasculogenesis in numerous pathological conditions. However, the poor retention of cells into the ischemic tissue and neovessel fragility are two major flaws that need to be overcome for successful angiogenic therapy. The objective of this study was to explore and exploit the functional properties of EPC populations in order to increase the effectiveness of post-ischemic cell therapy. The results indicate different, still complementary, effects of the two EPC populations on adherence and proliferation of vascular endothelial cells. Matrigel plug assay and mouse hind limb ischemia model showed that concomitant administration of CAC-secreted factors and ECFC resulted in three-fold increase in local cell retention and improved muscle perfusion, vessel maturation and hind limb regeneration, in comparison to either treatment alone. By concluding, factors secreted by CAC co-administered at the time of ECFC transplantation improve tissue regeneration and vascular repair through stabilization of newly-derived blood vessels.
The purpose of this paper is to theoretically investigate the steady nanofluid flow due to a permeable stretching/shrinking cylinder using the mathematical nanofluid model proposed by Buongiorno. The ...effects of the stretching/shrinking parameter as well as the suction and curvature parameters are studied. A similarity transformation is used to reduce the governing partial differential equations to a set of nonlinear ordinary (similarity) differential equations which are then solved numerically using the function bvp4c from Matlab for different values of the governing parameters. It is found that the solution is unique for stretching case; however, multiple (dual) solutions exist for the shrinking case. A closed form analytical solution is also obtained when the curvature parameter
α
= 0. For
α
small (
α
≪ 1) dual solutions exist for both stretching and shrinking cylinder, while for
α
large (
α
≫ 1) dual solutions are found only for the shrinking cylinder(
λ
< 0).
Highlights•We reviewed the clinical literature regarding head and neck cancer re-irradiation. •We focused on radiation toxicity, organs at risk tolerance and dose limit recommendations. •Data of 3766 ...patients from 39studies were analyzed. •Grade ≥3 pooled acute and late toxicities were 32% and 29.3%, respectively. •Treatment toxicity is impacted by interval time, fractionation and volumes. •Dose limits were found and discussed for carotid arteries, temporal lobes, mandible.
This paper presents an analysis of the physical education class at the gymnasium level from the perspective of the eventual excess of sports content and the effects of this aspect. The school ...curriculum at this level was analyzed and questionnaires were applied to some teachers and students to identify their opinions on the previously mentioned theme. The general conclusion that emerged from this study was that, indeed, sports-type contents are the majority (over 80% in each class), and the teachers seem to agree with this structure. The opinion of the students is not unified; approximately half feel various aspects that make them reserved regarding the pleasure of participating in these physical education classes.
The problem of steady mixed convection boundary-layer flow over an impermeable horizontal flat plate embedded in a porous medium saturated by a nanofluid is numerically studied. The model used for ...the nanofluid incorporates only the effect of the volume fraction parameter. The surface of the plate is maintained at a constant temperature and a constant nano-particle volume fraction. The resulting governing partial differential equations are transformed into a set of two ordinary (similar) equations, which are solved using the bvp4c function from Matlab. A comparison is made with the available results in the literature, and the present results are in very good agreement with the known results. A representative set of numerical results for the reduced heat transfer from the plate, dimensionless velocity and temperature profiles is graphically and tabularly presented. Also, the salient features of the results are analyzed and discussed.
: Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), used as a therapy in various diseases and abused in sports, are atherogenic in supraphysiological administration, altering the plasma lipid profile. Taurine, a ...conditionally-essential amino acid often used in dietary supplements, was acknowledged to delay the onset and progression of atherogenesis, and to mitigate hyperlipidemia. The aim of the present study was to verify if taurine could prevent the alterations induced by concomitant chronic administration of high doses of AAS nandrolone decanoate (DECA) in rats.
: Thirty-two male Wistar rats, assigned to 4 equal groups, were treated for 12 weeks either with DECA (A group), taurine (T group), both DECA and taurine (AT group) or vehicle (C group). Plasma triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), hepatic triglycerides (TGh) and liver non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) were then determined.
: DECA elevated TG level in A group vs. control (
= 0.01), an increase prevented by taurine association in AT group (
= 0.04). DECA decreased HDL-C in A group vs. control (
= 0.02), while taurine tended to increase it in AT group. DECA decreased TGh (
= 0.02) in A group vs. control. Taurine decreased TGh in T (
= 0.004) and AT (
< 0.001) groups vs. control and tended to lower NEFA (
= 0.08) in AT group vs. A group. Neither DECA, nor taurine influenced TC and LDL-C levels.
: Taurine partially prevented the occurrence of DECA negative effects on lipid profile, suggesting a therapeutic potential in several conditions associated with chronic high levels of plasma androgens, such as endocrine disorders or AAS-abuse.
The aim of this paper is to investigate numerically the steady boundary layer flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids using Buongiomo's model past a permeable exponentially ...shrinking/stretching surface with second order slip velocity. Using appropriate similarity transformations, the basic nonlinear partial differential equations are transformed into ordinary differential equations. These equations have been solved numerically for different values of the governing parameters, stretching/shrinking parameter lambda, suction parameter s, first order slip parameter a, second order slip parameter b, Prandtl number Pr, Lewis number Le, Brownian motion parameter Nb and the thermophoresis parameter Nt using the bvp4c function from Matlab. A stability analysis has been also performed. Numerical results are obtained for the reduced skin-friction, heat transfer and for the velocity and temperature profiles. The results indicate that dual solutions exist for the shrinking (lambda < 0) as well as for the stretching case (lambda > 0) for certain values of the parameter space. The stability analysis indicates that the lower solution branch is unstable, while the upper solution branch is stable and physically realizable. In addition, it is shown that for a regular fluid (Nb = Nt = 0) a very good agreement exists between the present numerical results and those reported in the open literature. The present results are original and new for the boundary-layer flow and heat transfer past a shrinking/stretching sheet in a nanofluid. Therefore, this study would be important for the researchers working in the relatively new area of nanofluids in order to become familiar with the flow behavior and properties of such nanofluids.
Aim: To investigate peripheral blood monocytes/macrophages (Mo/Mᴓ) paraoxonase 2 (PON2) in diabetes and the factors modulating its activity.
Methods: One hundred and eighteen patients with newly ...diagnosed uncomplicated type 2 diabetes mellitus were compared regarding clinical, biochemical and oxidative stress parameters with 80 healthy subjects. The capacity of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) to release pro-oxidants and to neutralise them was determined by measuring the respiratory burst (RB) and the intracellular antioxidant enzyme PON2. In vitro experiments were conducted on a differentiated monocytes cell line (dU937) that was exposed to serum deprivation followed by addition of isolated lipoproteins (VLDL or LDL).
Results: Paraoxonase 2 activity in Mo/Mᴓ was significantly lower in type 2 diabetes patients (0.042 ± 0.044 vs 0.165 ± 0.133U lactonase activity/mg protein in controls, p < .0005) and decreased in the obese in all groups. It was inversely correlated to parameters of adiposity (BMI and Waist Circumference), of glucose control (blood glucose, fructosamine and HbA
1c
) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). In multivariate regression models, 15-34% of the PON2 variance was explained by diabetes. The in vitro addition of VLDL normalised the RB of serum deprived dU937 cells, S− (to 82 ± 18% of the cells incubated with serum, S+) and PON2 activity (from 0.524 ± 0.061 in S − to 0.298 ± 0.048 U/mg protein). In contrast, when LDL was added, the RB remained lower (61 ± 12% of S+, p = .03) and PON2 higher (0.580 ± 0.030 U/mg protein, p = .003).
Conclusions: The decrease in monocyte/macrophage PON2 enzymatic activity observed in type 2 diabetes cannot be totally explained by abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. The underlying molecular mechanisms need to be identified.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The stabilizing bar is the suspension element that reduces the sliding of the car by stopping any kind of uneven vertical movement between the wheels to which it is connected. The stabilizer bar is a ...piece designed to increase stability during curves, in the case of sharp turns or maneuvers, and to enhance vehicle maneuverability. In general, sports cars are equipped with such stabilizing bars both on the front and rear. In this paper we present research on the experimental determination of the characteristic and rigidity of the torsion bar springs used in suspensions of motor vehicles. The determination of the torsion bar spring characteristic is done by two methods: analytical and experimental. The results obtained by the two methods are similar. In the second part of the paper there is discussed a test bench used for the experimental determination of fatigue resistance of the torsion bar spring. Also, angular deformations of torsion bar with resistive strain gauge transducers are monitored during fatigue applications. The results of the fatigue application are also studied by numerical simulation in the ANSYS FEA program.
A compact and finely grained sandwich calorimeter is designed to instrument the very forward region of a detector at a future e super(+)e super(-) collider. The calorimeter will be exposed to low ...energy e super(+)e super(-) pairs originating from beamstrahlung, resulting in absorbed doses of about one MGy per year. GaAs pad sensors interleaved with tungsten absorber plates are considered as an option for this calorimeter. Several Cr-doped GaAs sensor prototypes were produced and irradiated with 8.5-10MeV electrons up to a dose of 1.5MGy. The sensor performance was measured as a function of the absorbed dose.
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