Cell refractive index is a key biophysical parameter, which has been extensively studied. It is correlated with other cell biophysical properties including mechanical, electrical and optical ...properties, and not only represents the intracellular mass and concentration of a cell, but also provides important insight for various biological models. Measurement techniques developed earlier only measure the effective refractive index of a cell or a cell suspension, providing only limited information on cell refractive index and hence hindering its in-depth analysis and correlation. Recently, the emergence of microfluidic, photonic and imaging technologies has enabled the manipulation of a single cell and the 3D refractive index of a single cell down to sub-micron resolution, providing powerful tools to study cells based on refractive index. In this review, we provide an overview of cell refractive index models and measurement techniques including microfluidic chip-based techniques for the last 50 years, present the applications and significance of cell refractive index in cell biology, hematology, and pathology, and discuss future research trends in the field, including 3D imaging methods, integration with microfluidics and potential applications in new and breakthrough research areas.
Oxytocin (OT) is a potential treatment for multiple neuropsychiatric disorders. As OT is a peptide, delivery by the intranasal (IN) route is the preferred method in clinical studies. Although studies ...have shown increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) OT levels following IN administration, this does not unequivocably demonstrate that the peripherally administered OT is entering the CSF. For example, it has been suggested that peripheral delivery of OT could lead to central release of endogenous OT. It is also unknown whether the IN route provides for more efficient entry of the peptide into the CSF compared to the intravenous (IV) route, which requires blood-brain barrier penetration. To address these questions, we developed a sensitive and specific quantitative mass spectrometry assay that distinguishes labeled (d5-deuterated) from endogenous (d0) OT. We administered d5 OT (80 IU) to six nonhuman primates via IN and IV routes as well as IN saline as a control condition. We measured plasma and CSF concentrations of administered and endogenous OT before (t=0) and after (t=10, 20, 30, 45 and 60 min) d5 OT dosing. We demonstrate CSF penetrance of d5, exogenous OT delivered by IN and IV administration. Peripheral administration of d5 OT did not lead to increased d0, endogenous OT in the CSF. This suggests that peripheral administration of OT does not lead to central release of endogenous OT. We also did not find that IN administration offered an advantage compared to IV administration with respect to achieving greater CSF concentrations of OT.
Although perforation of the colon is known as one of the main complications of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for colorectal tumor management, factors predictive of perforation have not been ...fully evaluated. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with perforation during colorectal ESD.
Patients with colorectal tumors undergoing ESD were enrolled and their records were reviewed retrospectively. Age, sex, co-morbidity, medication history, procedure time, resection method, tumor size, location, gross morphology, the presence of fibrosis, and histologic findings were included as possible risk factors. In the cases where perforation had occurred, factors associated with the duration of hospitalization were analyzed.
One hundred eight lesions in 108 patients were eligible for inclusion in the study (68 patients were male; mean patient age was 63.01 ± 10.71 years). Mean tumor size was 27.59 ± 10.10 mm (range: 8 - 53 mm). Laterally spreading tumor was the most common type (75 %), followed by the protruding type (25 %). Procedure time was 61.95 ± 41.90 minutes (range: 5 - 198 minutes). Complete en bloc resection was achieved for 85 lesions (78.7 %). Perforation occurred in 22 patients (20.4 %). Multivariate analysis confirmed that tumor size odds ratio (OR): 1.084; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.015 - 1.158; P = 0.017 and the presence of fibrosis (OR: 4.551; 95 %CI: 1.092 - 18.960; P = 0.037) were independent risk factors for perforation. All cases of perforation were managed with nonsurgical treatment. Younger age and abdominal pain appeared to be related to prolonged hospitalization.
Tumor size and fibrosis are important factors related to complications during colorectal ESD. Younger age and development of abdominal pain can predict the hospital course in patients with perforation after ESD.
Our aim was to investigate the association between the triglycerides/glucose index (TyG index) and the homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in the prediction of insulin ...resistance (IR) among adolescents.
We conducted a cross-sectional study among 221 Korean adolescents (168 males and 53 females aged 9-13 years) from May to June 2014 in Chung-ju city. The TyG index was calculated as ln triglycerides (mg dl
) × fasting glucose (mg dl
)/2. IR was defined using HOMA-IR >95th percentile for age and sex.
In the IR group, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, body fat, fasting insulin, fasting plasma glucose, triglyceride levels and triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) were significantly higher than that in the non-IR group. The TG index was significantly different between the IR group (n=22) and non-IR group (n=199), at 8.43±0.45 and 8.05±0.41, respectively (P<0.001). The TyG index was well correlated with HOMA-IR (r=0.41; P<0.001) and showed a strong positive association with TG/HDL-C (r=0.84; P<0.001). The cut-off of the TyG index for diagnosis of insulin resistance was 8.18.
The TyG index is a simple, cost-effective surrogate marker of insulin resistance among adolescents compared with HOMA-IR.
Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Here we report the first trans-ancestry association study of IBD, with genome-wide or Immunochip ...genotype data from an extended cohort of 86,640 European individuals and Immunochip data from 9,846 individuals of East Asian, Indian or Iranian descent. We implicate 38 loci in IBD risk for the first time. For the majority of the IBD risk loci, the direction and magnitude of effect are consistent in European and non-European cohorts. Nevertheless, we observe genetic heterogeneity between divergent populations at several established risk loci driven by differences in allele frequency (NOD2) or effect size (TNFSF15 and ATG16L1) or a combination of these factors (IL23R and IRGM). Our results provide biological insights into the pathogenesis of IBD and demonstrate the usefulness of trans-ancestry association studies for mapping loci associated with complex diseases and understanding genetic architecture across diverse populations.
Bosonic superweakly interacting massive particles (super-WIMPs) are a candidate for warm dark matter. With the absorption of such a boson by a xenon atom, these dark matter candidates would deposit ...an energy equivalent to their rest mass in the detector. This is the first direct detection experiment exploring the vector super-WIMPs in the mass range between 40 and 120 keV. With the use of 165.9 day of data, no significant excess above background was observed in the fiducial mass of 41 kg. The present limit for the vector super-WIMPs excludes the possibility that such particles constitute all of dark matter. The absence of a signal also provides the most stringent direct constraint on the coupling constant of pseudoscalar super-WIMPs to electrons. The unprecedented sensitivity was achieved exploiting the low background at a level 10(-4) kg-1 keVee-1 day-1 in the detector.
Biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces successfully fabricated on high‐density polyethylene surfaces by simple heat‐ and pressure‐driven imprinting methods using patterned anodic aluminum oxides as ...replication templates are reported. On measuring the water contact angle (see figure), it is clearly observed that the nanostructures and microstructures together influence the superhydrophobicity of the polymer surface.
Chromosomal instability is a hallmark of cancer that results from ongoing errors in chromosome segregation during mitosis. Although chromosomal instability is a major driver of tumour evolution, its ...role in metastasis has not been established. Here we show that chromosomal instability promotes metastasis by sustaining a tumour cell-autonomous response to cytosolic DNA. Errors in chromosome segregation create a preponderance of micronuclei whose rupture spills genomic DNA into the cytosol. This leads to the activation of the cGAS-STING (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes) cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway and downstream noncanonical NF-κB signalling. Genetic suppression of chromosomal instability markedly delays metastasis even in highly aneuploid tumour models, whereas continuous chromosome segregation errors promote cellular invasion and metastasis in a STING-dependent manner. By subverting lethal epithelial responses to cytosolic DNA, chromosomally unstable tumour cells co-opt chronic activation of innate immune pathways to spread to distant organs.
An experiment was conducted with 240, 1-d-old, male broilers to investigate the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) cell components on the growth performance, meat quality, and ileal mucosa ...development. There were 4 dietary treatments, each consisting of 6 replicates. Whole yeast (WY), SC extract (YE), and SC cell wall (CW) were added at 0.5, 0.3, and 0.3%, respectively, to the control starter and finisher diets. From 0 to 3 wk of age, a lower feed/gain ratio (P less than or equal to 0.05) was observed with CW, whereas the WY-fed birds at 4 to 5 wk of age showed a lower feed/gain ratio compared with the control. From 0 to 5 wk of age, WY and CW gave higher BW gains than did the control. The shear force of raw drumstick decreased in the WY treatment relative to the control, and YE and CW treatments were intermediate. The shear forces in cooked breast and drumstick in treatments WY and YE decreased when compared with the control. The amount of 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in the breast meats of WY, YE, and CW were lower than the control at 10 d of incubation. In raw drumstick meats, TBARS values were lower in treatments WY and YE than that of the control at 6 and 10 d of incubation. At 10 d of incubation, skins from YE and CW treatments had lower TBARS values than did the control. Villus height was greater in WY and CW compared with those in control and YE. No differences were found in crypt depth among the 4 treatments. The villus height/crypt depth ratios in WY and CW were greater than those of the control and YE. It could be concluded that dietary yeast components, such as WY or CW supplementation improved growth performance. Meat tenderness could be improved by the WY or YE. Both YE and CW had oxidation-reducing effects. Yeast cell wall may improve ileal villus development.
To determine the immediate and long-term therapeutic efficacies of Gufoni and head-shaking maneuvers in apogeotropic type of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo involving the horizontal semicircular ...canal (HC-BPPV), a randomized, prospective, sham-controlled study was conducted.
In 10 nationwide dizziness clinics in Korea, 157 consecutive patients (95 women, age range: 18-89 years, mean age ± SD = 59.9 ± 13.6) with apogeotropic HC-BPPV were randomized to Gufoni (n = 52), head-shaking (n = 54), or sham maneuver (n = 51). For Gufoni maneuver, patients underwent ipsilesional side-lying and upward head-turn for migration of the debris toward the vestibule. Immediate responses were determined within 1 hour after a maximum of 2 trials of each maneuver and in the following day. The patients also had weekly follow-ups for 1 month after the initial maneuver.
After a maximum of 2 maneuvers on the initial visit day, Gufoni (38/52, 73.1%) and head-shaking (33/53, 62.3%) maneuvers showed better responses than the sham maneuver (17/49, 34.7%). The cumulative therapeutic effects were also better with Gufoni (p < 0.001) and head-shaking (p = 0.026) maneuvers compared with the sham maneuver. However, therapeutic efficacies did not differ between the Gufoni and head-shaking groups in terms of both immediate (p = 0.129) and long-term (p = 0.239) outcomes.
Using a prospective randomized trial, we demonstrated that the Gufoni and head-shaking maneuvers are effective in treating apogeotropic HC-BPPV.
This study provides Class II evidence that Gufoni and head-shaking maneuvers are effective in treating apogeotropic horizontal BPPV up to 1 month after initial treatment.
NCT00810641.
PDF
