Anatomical variations in the digastric muscle Hsiao, Tin‐Hsin; Chang, Hong‐Po
The Kaohsiung journal of medical sciences,
February 2019, 2019-Feb, 2019-02-00, 20190201, Letnik:
35, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The aim of this study was to investigate anatomical variations in the digastric muscle. Anatomical dissections of the head and neck region were performed in 15 cadavers at the Anatomy Department ...during a gross anatomy course. Three cadaver heads revealed anatomical variations in the anterior belly of the digastric muscle. The positional relationships among the accessory muscle bundles, the anterior belly of the digastric muscle, and the mylohyoid muscle were examined. Innervating branches from the mylohyoid nerve were also investigated. The remaining 12 cadaver heads without accessory muscle bundles were used for comparison. Of the three heads with accessory muscle bundles, one head (male) had two muscle bundles of the unilateral type, one head (male) had symmetrical muscle bundles of the crossover type, and one head (female) had a mix of unilateral and crossover types. The likely explanation for these and various other anomalies reported in the literature is the complex morphogenesis of the first branchial arch. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of these anatomical variations of the submental region when performing surgical procedures involving the head and neck and when using computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for interpretation or differential diagnosis of neck masses.
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a common central nervous system disease with a poor prognosis; its five-year survival rate is <5 %, and its median survival of 15 months. Current treatment includes ...chemotherapy with temozolomide, which is ineffective against GBM, suggesting an urgent need to develop novel therapies. This study evaluated isoaaptamine and aaptamine in the GBM cell lines for cell viability; GBM 8401, U87 MG, U138 MG, and T98G. Our findings showed that isoaaptamine was more potent than its iso-form aaptamine in these four cell lines, and GBM 8401 was most sensitive to isoaaptamine. The study in GBM 8401 cells showed that apoptosis was induced by isoaaptamine with increased cleaved caspase 3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). Moreover, isoaaptamine enhanced oxidative stress by increasing the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibiting mitochondrial and cellular superoxidase dismutases (SOD1&2), peroxidase and an anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2), and disrupting mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, the oxygen consumption rates and activities of mitochondrial complexes I–V were significantly reduced. Mitochondrial dynamics were prone to fission instead of fusion after isoaaptamine treatment, and ATP synthesis was ablated. Also, autophagy-related acidic organelle vesicles were formed, indicating autophagy was triggered. Overall, isoaaptamine-induced ROS overproduction in mitochondria could cause mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and autophagy in the GBM cells.
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•GBM cell lines are susceptible to isoaaptamine's anti-neoplastic effects.•Isoaaptamine shows a predicted blood-brain barrier penetrability.•Isoaaptamine elevates oxidative stress, causing a fragmented mitochondrial network.•ATP synthesis and mitochondrial respiration are both affected by isoaaptamine.•GBM cells are killed as result of isoaaptamine-induced apoptosis and autophagy.
Volatility and effective density of aerosol particles are complicatedly linked properties, undergoing dynamic temporal evolution in the ambient environment. However, the simultaneous investigation of ...these physicochemical characteristics remains unexplored in roadside environments that exhibit a significant proportion of motorcycles in the vehicle fleet - a common scenario in Southeast Asia. As such, we deployed an innovative in-situ measurement technique, specifically the Volatile Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer and Aerosol Particle Mass Analyzer (VT-DMA-APM) system, to investigate ultrafine particles (UFPs) in an urban region of northern Taiwan. Our findings revealed that the UFPs predominant in this study area were largely soot aggregates interspersed with condensable materials. Traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs), specifically condensable organic substances, emerged as key determinants of particle effective density and volatility. Intriguingly, the peculiar interrelation between aerosol physicochemical properties and particle size suggests that UFPs may represent an amalgamation of black carbon (BC) coated with condensable substances and non-BC-containing particles. We observed an inverse relationship between effective density and volatility, indicative of atmospheric aging processes. Moreover, concurrent measurements of Absorption Angstrom Exponent (AAE) and shape factor (Ks) provided valuable insights into variations in optical properties and morphology during aging. Peak AAE and minimal Ks values consistently occurred at noon, implying heightened particle aging during this period due to coating and morphological alterations.
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•Revealed traffic emissions as a key influencer on UFP's effective density.•Low-volatile compounds identified as aged materials, revealing aging degree.•Demonstrated correlation between particle aging and optical/morphological changes.•Linked UFP size-dependency in relation to volatility and density patterns.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a small population of cancer cells, have been considered to be the origin of cancer initiation, recurrence, and metastasis. Tumor microenvironment provides crucial signals ...for CSCs to maintain stem cell properties and promotes tumorigenesis. Therefore, establishment of an appropriate cell culture system to mimic the microenvironment for CSC studies is an important issue. In this study, we grew colon and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells on chitosan membranes and evaluated the tumor progression and the CSC properties. Experimental results showed that culturing cancer cells on chitosan increased cell motility, drug resistance, quiescent population, self-renewal capacity, and the expression levels of stemness and CSC marker genes, such as OCT4, NANOG, CD133, CD44, and EpCAM. Furthermore, we demonstrated that chitosan might activate canonical Wnt/β-catenin-CD44 axis signaling in CD44
colon cancer cells and noncanonical Wnt-STAT3 signaling in CD44
HCC cells. In conclusion, chitosan as culture substrates activated the essential signaling of CSCs and promoted CSC properties. The chitosan culture system provides a convenient platform for the research of CSC biology and screening of anticancer drugs.
Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) is a pleiotropic molecule that binds DNA to regulate genes on a transcriptional level in the nucleus and binds RNA to modulate gene translation in the cytoplasm. In our ...previous studies, YB-1 was also characterized as a fetal hepatic protein that regulates the maturation of hepatocytes and is upregulated during liver regeneration. Moreover, YB-1 has been shown to be expressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role of YB-1 in HCC remains unclear. Here, we aimed to characterize the role of YB-1 in HCC. Based on the results of loss-of-function in HCC and gain-of-function in mice liver using hydrodynamic gene delivery, YB-1 promoted hepatic cells proliferation in vitro and in vivo. YB-1 was also involved in HCC cell proliferation, migration, and drug-resistance. The results of extreme limiting dilution sphere forming analysis and cancer initiating cell marker analysis were also shown that YB-1 maintained HCC initiating cells population. YB-1 also induced the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stemness-related gene expression. Knockdown of YB-1 suppressed the expression of Wnt ligands and β-catenin, impaired Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and reduced the numbers of HCC initiating cells. Moreover, YB-1 displayed nuclear localization particularly in the HCC initiating cells, the EpCAM+ cells or sphere cells. Our findings suggested that YB-1 was a key factor in HCC tumorigenesis and maintained the HCC initiating cell population.
There is an urgent need for a safe and effective vaccine against dengue virus (DENV) which infects about 390 million humans per year. In the present study we combined modifications of two DENV ...proteins, the nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) and the envelope (E) protein, to produce a DENV vaccine candidate with enhanced features. One of these modified proteins was a C-terminal-deleted fragment of NS1 called ΔC NS1 which we have shown previously to be protective without the potentially harmful effects of cross-reactive epitopes common to surface antigens on platelets and endothelial cells. The other modified protein was an envelope protein domain III (cEDIII) containing a consensus amino acid sequence among the four serotypes of DENV, which induces neutralizing antibody against all four DENV serotypes. The cEDIII and ΔC NS1 were expressed as a fusion protein cEDIII-ΔC NS1 and its protective effects against DENV were evaluated in a mouse model. C3H/HeN mice were immunized three times with cEDIII-ΔC NS1 fusion protein mixed with alum as adjuvant. Sera collected from cEDIII-ΔC NS1-immunized mice neutralized four serotypes of DENV and also caused complement-mediated cytolysis of HMEC-1 cells infected with each of the four different DENV serotypes. Mice immunized with cEDIII-ΔC NS1 and challenged with DENV showed reduced serum virus titer, soluble NS1 and bleeding time, compared with mice infected with DENV alone. The results reveal that antibodies induced by cEDIII-ΔC NS1 not only show anti-viral efficacy by in vitro assays but also provide protective effects against DENV infection in a mouse model. The cEDIII-ΔC NS1 thus represents a novel, effective DENV vaccine candidate.
We report gold-free growth of vertically aligned InAs/GaSb heterostructure nanowires (NWs) on Si(111) substrate by metal organic chemical vapor deposition technique. The effect of growth temperature ...on morphology and growth rate for InAs and InAs/GaSb heterostructure NWs were investigated. A combination of high material flow rates and optimum temperature (600 °C) has given better crystal quality of InAs nanowires. The morphology and shell thickness of NWs as observed by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope (TEM) measurements can be tuned by the growth temperature. Electron microscopy also shows the formation of GaSb both in radial and axial directions outside the InAs NW core at certain growth temperatures. Crystal structure of InAs and InAs/GaSb heterostructure NWs was analyzed by high-resolution TEM and fast Fourier transform analysis. Using good crystalline InAs core grown at optimized growth temperature (600 °C), GaSb shell has been grown without any misfit dislocations at the core-shell interface. Basic electrical properties have been measured by forming ohmic contacts. I-V characteristics exhibit linear response indicating good ohmic behavior. These results show good control over InAs NWs growth, the GaSb shell thickness, and its crystal quality, which are essential for future nanoelectronic devices such as tunneling FET.
Objective/Hypothesis
Endonasal submucosal implantation has been confirmed to be beneficial for patients with empty nose syndrome (ENS). However, the optimal implantation site has not been defined. ...This study aimed to evaluate whether lateral nasal wall implantation is superior to inferior nasal wall implantation in terms of clinical benefits and improvements in quality of life.
Study Design
Retrospective study in a tertiary medical center.
Methods
Consecutive ENS patients between 2010 and 2015 with operative histories of inferior turbinectomies and indicated for surgical implantation were enrolled, with at least 1‐year follow‐up. Patients were divided into lateral and inferior nasal wall groups. SinoNasal Outcome Test (SNOT)‐22, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)‐II, and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were applied before and 1 year after implantation.
Results
Of the total 30 ENS patients analyzed, 14 were in the inferior nasal wall group and 16 were in the lateral nasal wall group. There were no significant intergroup differences in demographic data and preoperative SNOT‐22, BDI‐II, and BAI scores. Postoperative assessment revealed that the lateral nasal wall group had significantly better SNOT‐22 score improvements than the inferior nasal wall group, particularly regarding rhinological symptoms and sleep function.
Conclusion
Lateral nasal wall implantation may provide significantly better clinical outcomes than inferior nasal wall implantation, and thus may be the preferred, more optimal site for implant placement in ENS patients.
Level of Evidence
4. Laryngoscope, 128:554–559, 2018
Developing ultraflexible sensors using metal oxides is challenging due to the high-temperature annealing step in the fabrication process. Here, we demonstrate the ultraflexible relative humidity (RH) ...sensor on food plastic wrap by using 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) laser annealing for 1 min at a low temperature (26.2–40.8 °C). The wettability of plastic wraps coated with sol-gel solution is modulated to obtain uniform films. The surface morphology, local temperature, and electrical properties of the SnO2 resistor under NIR laser irradiation with a power of 16, 33, and 84 W/cm2 are investigated. The optimal device can detect wide-range RH from 15% to 70% with small incremental changes (0.1–2.2%). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals the relation between the surface binding condition and sensing response. Finally, the proposed sensor is attached onto the face mask to analyze the real-time human breath pattern in slow, normal, and fast modes, showing potential in wearable electronics or respiration monitoring.
Virtual impactors can be used as aerosol concentrators as well as particle size classifiers. The flow field and particle trajectory inside a linear slit-type virtual impactor were investigated using ...a commercial computational fluid dynamics software package. Effects of flow and slit geometry, including the inlet flow (Qin), the ratio of minor to total flow (r), and the configuration of the taper-lip slit nozzle and the collection slit nozzle, were studied. A new modified Stokes number (Stkc) for the virtual impactor was proposed to predict the d50 at different r values. Stkc,500.5 was found to be retained at approximately 0.9 under different Qin or r values, and it can be considered the characteristic performance parameter for the slit virtual impactor. The numerical simulation results show that the particle loss starts increasing when Stkc0.5 is larger than 2.0 due to a particle-crossing phenomenon. The range of the maximum concentration factor (CFmax) is influenced by the particle-crossing phenomenon. An expression was also developed to predict the size range of particles with the maximum CF under different inlet flow rates. Regarding the geometrical configuration, the arc-lip nozzle could postpone particle-crossing and lessen the internal losses of coarse particles, whereas it increased particle losses near d50. However, the divergent collection slit nozzle could effectively decrease particle losses on the wall of the nozzle without this side effect. The designing guidelines of a linear-slit virtual impactor are briefly summarized based on these findings.
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•Flow field and particle trajectory inside a virtual impactor were investigated.•Performance of the virtual impactor, operated under different r, is modeled.•A new modified Stokes number (Stkc) for the virtual impactor is proposed.•An expression was developed to predict the size range of the CFmax.•Designing guidelines of a linear-slit virtual impactor were summarized.
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