One-sided vestibular disorders are common in clinical practice; however, their models have not been fully established. We investigated the effect of unilateral or bilateral deficits in the vestibular ...organs on the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and optokinetic reflex (OKR) of zebrafish using in-house equipment. For physical dislodgement of the otoliths in the utricles of zebrafish larvae, one or both utricles were separated from the surrounding tissue using glass capillaries. The video data from VOR and OKR tests with the larvae was collected and processed using digital signal processing techniques such as fast Fourier transform and low-pass filters. The results showed that unilateral and bilateral damage to the vestibular system significantly reduced VOR and OKR. In contrast, no significant difference was observed between unilateral and bilateral damage. This study confirmed that VOR and OKR were significantly reduced in zebrafish with unilateral and bilateral vestibular damage. Follow-up studies on unilateral vestibular disorders can be conducted using this tool.
Our study investigated the embryo-ototoxic effects of deodorant2 (DA2) on zebrafish embryos, which serve as valuable model organisms due to genetic and physiological similarities to humans. We ...focused on understanding DA2's impact on zebrafish hair cells, which are vital for sensory perception and balance regulation. DA2, provided by the Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea, was used at 460 μg/mL in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), with a 0.43% DMSO solvent control group. Three experiments, each using 10 zebrafish specimens from each group, showed an initial 13% hair cell count reduction in the DA2-exposed group. Subsequent experiments demonstrated reductions of 37% and 22%, each with one mortality case. Statistical analysis revealed a significant 24% hair cell count reduction in the DA2-exposed group. We also assessed DA2's impact on zebrafish behavior. Although not statistically significant, differences in distances traveled (0.33-0.39, 95% confidence interval: -0.46-1.1,
= 0.2033) and latencies (-0.016-0.018, 95% confidence interval: -0.052-0.021,
= 0.1917) hinted at negative effects. These results highlight DA2's ototoxic properties affecting zebrafish auditory systems and behavior. Further investigation into DA2's effects on aquatic organisms and potential mitigation strategies are essential. These findings contribute to understanding DA2's safety profile, benefiting aquatic ecosystems and human health assessments.
Abstract
We apply the principles of the “Wisdom of Crowds (WoC)” to improve the calibration of interval estimates. Previous research has documented the significant impact of the WoC on the accuracy ...of point estimates but only a few studies have examined its effectiveness in aggregating interval estimates. We demonstrate that collective probability intervals obtained by several heuristics can reduce the typical overconfidence of the individual estimates. We re-analyzed data from Glaser, Langer and Weber (2013) and from Soll and Klayman (2004) and applied four heuristics Averaging, Median, Enveloping, Probability averaging-suggested by Gaba, Tsetlin and Winkler (2014) and new heuristics, Averaging with trimming and Quartiles. We used the hit rate and the Mean Squared Error (MSE) to evaluate the quality of the methods. All methods reduced miscalibration to some degree, and Quartiles was the most beneficial securing accuracy and informativeness.
The effect of natural gas compositions on the thermodynamic performance characteristics of the single-shaft gas turbine cycle is analyzed in this study. The fuel characteristics are signified by H/C ...ratio and heating value, then the system are analyzed, and the full off-design analysis is performed by using TIT, TET, and power control. As the heating value of natural gas decreases, power output increases due to the increased mass flow passing through the turbine for all control methods. Additionally, regardless of the control method, the compressor surge margin is reduced and the turbine blade temperature is raised, making the gas turbine operation extremely vulnerable. Most parameters are sensitively affected by the HC ratio of fuel with TIT control. When the power control is used, gas turbine efficiency is reduced due to the increased operation of the compressor. The results are expressed by polynomial equations relative to each design value. In terms of the performance curves of the gas turbine cycle, the trends of most parameters accord with high H/C ratio and low heating value.
Use of rigid endoscopes has become widespread in middle ear surgeries, thereby attracting attention to the safety of antifog agents. However, few studies on the ototoxicity of antifog agents have ...been conducted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate hair cell damage and the underlying mechanisms caused by antifog agents using zebrafish larvae. We exposed zebrafish larvae at 3 days postfertilization to various concentrations of the antifog agent, Ultrastop (0.01, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.08%) for 72 hours. The average number of hair cells within 4 neuromasts of larvae, including supraorbital (SO1 and SO2), otic (O1), and occipital (OC1), in the control group were compared to those in the exposure groups. Significant hair cell loss was observed in the experimental groups compared to that in the control group (P < .01; control: 53.88 ± 4.85, 0.01%: 45.08 ± 11.70, 0.02%: 41.36 ± 12.00, 0.04%: 35.36 ± 16.18, and 0.08%: 15.60 ± 7.53 cells). Concentration-dependent increase in hair cell apoptosis by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TDT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay (control: 0.00 ± 0.00, 0.01%: 3.48 ± 2.18, 0.02%: 9.64 ± 5.75, 0.04%: 17.72 ± 6.26, and 0.08%: 14.60 ± 8.18 cells) and decrease in the viability of hair cell mitochondria by 2-(4-dimethylamino styryl)-N-ethylpyridinium iodide assay (control: 9.61 ± 1.47, 0.01%: 8.28 ± 2.22, 0.02%: 8.45 ± 2.72, 0.04%: 7.25 ± 2.44, and 0.08%: 6.77 ± 3.26 percentage of total area) were observed. Antifog agent exposure can cause hair cell damage in zebrafish larvae, possibly by induction of mitochondrial damage with subsequent apoptosis of hair cells.
While Huntington's disease (HD) is classified as a neurological disorder, HD patients exhibit a high incidence of cardiovascular events leading to heart failure and death. In this study, we sought to ...better understand the cardiovascular phenotype of HD using the BACHD mouse model. The age-related decline in cardiovascular function was assessed by echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, histological and microarray analysis. We found that structural and functional differences between WT and BACHD hearts start at 3 months of age and continue throughout life. The aged BACHD mice develop cardiac fibrosis and ultimately apoptosis. The BACHD mice exhibited adaptive physiological changes to chronic isoproterenol treatment; however, the medication exacerbated fibrotic lesions in the heart. Gene expression analysis indicated a strong tilt toward apoptosis in the young mutant heart as well as changes in genes involved in cellular metabolism and proliferation. With age, the number of genes with altered expression increased with the large changes occurring in the cardiovascular disease, cellular metabolism, and cellular transport clusters. The BACHD model of HD exhibits a number of changes in cardiovascular function that start early in the disease progress and may provide an explanation for the higher cardiovascular risk in HD.
A suspension protein microarray was developed using shape-coded poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel microparticles for potential applications in multiplex and high-throughput immunoassays. A simple ...photopatterning process produced various shapes of hydrogel micropatterns that were weakly bound to poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-coated substrates. These micropatterns were easily detached from substrates during the washing process and were collected as non-spherical microparticles. Acrylic acids were incorporated into hydrogels, which could covalently immobilize proteins onto their surfaces due to the presence of carboxyl groups. The amount of immobilized protein increased with the amount of acrylic acid due to more available carboxyl groups. Saturation was reached at 25% v/v of acrylic acid. Immunoassays with IgG and IgM immobilized onto hydrogel microparticles were successfully performed with a linear concentration range from 0 to 500 ng/mL of anti-IgG and anti-IgM, respectively. Finally, a mixture of two different shapes of hydrogel microparticles immobilizing IgG (circle) and IgM (square) was prepared and it was demonstrated that simultaneous detection of two different target proteins was possible without cross-talk using same fluorescence indicator because each immunoassay was easily identified by the shapes of hydrogel microparticles.
The aim of this study was to predict the mean corneal power change preoperatively for simultaneous pterygium excision and cataract extraction.
This study was performed in 2 stages. First, 66 eyes ...undergoing pterygium excision were recruited, and the subjects were divided into 2 groups based on a pterygium length of 2.0 mm (group 1: <2.0 mm, group 2: ≥2.0 mm). Keratometric values (K) were measured before, 1 month after, and 3 months after surgery. Multiple regression analyses were used to predict the postoperative mean K using preoperative K and morphological factors that significantly affect corneal power change. In the second stage, the regression equation was applied to 50 eyes (23 with pterygium <2.0 mm and 27 with pterygium ≥2.0 mm) in several clinics. Prediction accuracy was graded based on the difference between the calculated mean K and the postoperative mean K.
In group 1, the mean Ks did not change significantly after the surgery, and therefore, the predicted mean K was not statistically different from the preoperative mean K. In group 2, the horizontal and mean Ks steepened significantly, and the regression analysis predicted the mean K within the range of 0.5 diopter difference in 22 of 31 eyes, showing a better approximation compared with the preoperative mean K (P < 0.001). The prediction accuracy was verified similarly in other clinics, and the regression analysis was useful for pterygium exceeding a length of 2.0 mm.
Pterygium exceeding a length of 2.0 mm induced a significant corneal power change after surgery. The mean K predicted from the regression analysis could be used as an approximation for a simultaneous pterygium and cataract surgery.
Individuals affected by Huntington's disease (HD) present with progressive degeneration that results in a wide range of symptoms, including cardiovascular (CV) dysfunction. The huntingtin gene (
) ...and its product are ubiquitously expressed, hence, the cardiomyopathy could also be driven by defects caused by its mutated form (
) in the cardiomyocytes themselves. In the present study, we sought to determine the contribution of the
expressed in the cardiomyocytes to CV symptoms. We utilized the BACHD mouse model, which exhibits many of the HD core symptoms, including CV dysfunction. This model allows the targeted genetic reduction of
expression in the cardiomyocytes while maintaining the expression of the
in the rest of the body. The BACHD line was crossed with a line of mice in which the expression of Cre recombinase is driven by the cardiac-specific alpha myosin-heavy chain (
) promoter. The offspring of this cross (BMYO mice) exhibited a dramatic reduction in
in the heart but not in the striatum. The BMYO mice were evaluated at 6 months old, as at this age, the BACHD line displays a strong CV phenotype. Echocardiogram measurements found improvement in the ejection fraction in the BMYO line compared to the BACHD, while hypertrophy was observed in both mutant lines. Next, we examined the expression of genes known to be upregulated during pathological cardiac hypertrophy. As measured by qPCR, the BMYO hearts exhibited significantly less expression of
as well as
, and
compared to the BACHD. Fibrosis in the hearts assessed by Masson's trichrome stain and the protein levels of fibronectin were reduced in the BMYO hearts compared to BACHD. Finally, we examined the performance of the mice on CV-sensitive motor tasks. Both the overall activity levels and grip strength were improved in the BMYO mice. Therefore, we conclude that the reduction of
expression in the heart benefits CV function in the BACHD model, and suggest that cardiomyopathy should be considered in the treatment strategies for HD.
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