Border-zone cardiomyocytes and macrophages regulate extracellular matrix remodeling to promote cardiomyocyte protrusion during cardiac regeneration.

Despite numerous advances in our understanding of zebrafish cardiac regeneration, an aspect that remains less studied is how regenerating cardiomyocytes invade and replace the collagen-containing injured tissue. Here, we provide an in-depth analysis of the process of cardiomyocyte invasion. We observe close interactions between protruding border-zone cardiomyocytes and macrophages, and show that macrophages are essential for extracellular matrix remodeling at the wound border zone and cardiomyocyte protrusion into the injured area.

The role of genetic testing in adult patients with unexplained epilepsy.

Objective: Genetic causes are often overlooked in patients with epilepsy of unknown etiology, particularly in adults. We aimed to evaluate clinical features of genetic epilepsy and the utility of genetic testing.

Methods: We retrospectively screened consecutive unrelated adult epilepsy patients at an epilepsy clinic from April 2022 to May 2023.

Border-zone cardiomyocytes and macrophages contribute to remodeling of the extracellular matrix to promote cardiomyocyte invasion during zebrafish cardiac regeneration.

Despite numerous advances in our understanding of zebrafish cardiac regeneration, an aspect that remains less studied is how regenerating cardiomyocytes invade, and eventually replace, the collagen-containing fibrotic tissue following injury. Here, we provide an in-depth analysis of the process of cardiomyocyte invasion using live-imaging and histological approaches. We observed close interactions between protruding cardiomyocytes and macrophages at the wound border zone, and macrophage-deficient mutant zebrafish exhibited defects in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and cardiomyocyte protrusion into the injured area.

Comparative single-cell profiling reveals distinct cardiac resident macrophages essential for zebrafish heart regeneration.

Zebrafish exhibit a robust ability to regenerate their hearts following injury, and the immune system plays a key role in this process. We previously showed that delaying macrophage recruitment by clodronate liposome (-1d_CL, macrophage-delayed model) impairs neutrophil resolution and heart regeneration, even when the infiltrating macrophage number was restored within the first week post injury (Lai et al., 2017).

MicroRNA-29a Mitigates Laminectomy-Induced Spinal Epidural Fibrosis and Gait Dysregulation by Repressing TGF-β1 and IL-6.

Spinal epidural fibrosis is one of the typical features attributable to failed back surgery syndrome, with excessive scar development in the dura and nerve roots. The microRNA-29 family (miR-29s) has been found to act as a fibrogenesis-inhibitory factor that reduces fibrotic matrix overproduction in various tissues. However, the mechanistic basis of miRNA-29a underlying the overabundant fibrotic matrix synthesis in spinal epidural scars post-laminectomy remained elusive.

Physicochemical Characterization, Biocompatibility, and Antibacterial Properties of CMC/PVA/ Films for Biomedical Applications.

This study reports a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite film that incorporates (CO) extract for biomedical applications. The morphological, physical, mechanical, hydrophilic, biological, and antibacterial properties of CMC/PVA composite films with various CO concentrations (0.1%, 1%, 2.

A case of senile-onset progressive hemiballism and cognitive decline with diffuse brain iron accumulations.

The etiologies for adults presenting with hemiballism are usually acquired lesions in the contralateral side of subthalamic nucleus. We present a 71-year-old woman with progressive onset of left hemiballism, orolingual dyskinesia and cognitive decline for 3 years. A rare genetic etiology was the final diagnosis for this index patient.

Respiratory viral infections in pragmatically selected adults in intensive care units.

Respiratory viruses can be detected in 18.3 to 48.9% of critically ill adults with severe respiratory tract infections (RTIs).

A gatekeeper protein contributes to T3SS2 function via interaction with an ATPase in Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Assembly of a functional type III secretion system (T3SS) requires intricate protein-protein interactions in many bacterial species. In Vibrio parahaemolyticus, the leading cause of seafood-associated diarrheal illnesses, the gatekeeper protein VgpA is essential for T3SS2 to secrete its substrates. However, it is unknown if VgpA interacts with other core elements of T3SS2 to mediate its substrate secretion.

Obesity-related indices are associated with albuminuria and advanced kidney disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of diseases including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. However, few reports have investigated the relationships between these obesity-related indices and diabetic nephropathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between obesity-related markers with albuminuria and advanced kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).

Causes of in-hospital death in patients with type 2 diabetes with microvascular and macrovascular complications in Taiwan.

Aims: Diabetes mellitus is a major cause of death worldwide, including Taiwan. The mortality data of the subsets of patients who suffered from microvascular or macrovascular complications is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of in-hospital death of patients with type 2 diabetes, especially the patients with microvascular, macrovascular and both micro-macrovascular complications.

Gender Differences in the Relationships among Metabolic Syndrome and Various Obesity-Related Indices with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in a Taiwanese Population.

The incidence of is increasing worldwide, and it is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and some obesity-related indices. However, few studies have investigated gender differences in these associations. The aim of this study was to investigate associations among MetS and various obesity-related indices with NAFLD, and also look at gender differences in these associations.

Selfing mutants link Ku proteins to mating type determination in Tetrahymena.

Recognition of self and nonself is important for outcrossing organisms, and different mating types establish the barrier against self-mating. In the unicellular ciliate T. thermophila, mating type determination requires complex DNA rearrangements at a single mat locus during conjugation to produce a type-specific gene pair (MTA and MTB) for 1 of 7 possible mating types.

Increasing Cytomegalovirus Detection Rate from Respiratory Tract Specimens by a New Laboratory-Developed Automated Molecular Diagnostic Test.

Lots of automated molecular methods for detecting cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in the blood are available, but seldom for various clinical specimens. This study was designed to establish a highly sensitive automated assay to detect CMV DNA in non-blood specimens. We designed a new QMT assay using QIAGEN artus CMV RG polymerase chain reaction (-CMV PCR) kit applied on the BD AX system and compared with the other assays, including an RGQ assay (LabTurbo auto-extraction combined Q-CMV PCR kit on otor-ene- instrument), and in-house PCR assay.

Abundant and diverse Tetrahymena species living in the bladder traps of aquatic carnivorous Utricularia plants.

Ciliates are unicellular eukaryotes known for their cellular complexity and wide range of natural habitats. How they adapt to their niches and what roles they play in ecology remain largely unknown. The genus Tetrahymena is among the best-studied groups of ciliates and one particular species, Tetrahymena thermophila, is a well-known laboratory model organism in cell and molecular biology, making it an excellent candidate for study in protist ecology.

Fault-Tolerant Electro-Responsive Surfaces for Dynamic Micropattern Molds and Tunable Optics.

Electrically deformable surfaces based on dielectric elastomers have recently demonstrated controllable microscale roughness, ease of operation, fast response, and possibilities for programmable control. Potential applications include marine anti-biofouling, dynamic pattern generation, and voltage-controlled smart windows. Most of these systems, however, exhibit limited durability due to irreversible dielectric breakdown.

Biochemical Mechanisms and Microorganisms Involved in Anaerobic Testosterone Metabolism in Estuarine Sediments.

Current knowledge on the biochemical mechanisms underlying microbial steroid metabolism in anaerobic ecosystems is extremely limited. Sulfate, nitrate, and iron [Fe (III)] are common electron acceptors for anaerobes in estuarine sediments. Here, we investigated anaerobic testosterone metabolism in anaerobic sediments collected from the estuary of Tamsui River, Taiwan.

Programmed Minichromosome Elimination as a Mechanism for Somatic Genome Reduction in Tetrahymena thermophila.

The maintenance of chromosome integrity is crucial for genetic stability. However, programmed chromosome fragmentations are known to occur in many organisms, and in the ciliate Tetrahymena the five germline chromosomes are fragmented into hundreds of minichromosomes during somatic nuclear differentiation. Here, we showed that there are different fates of these minichromosomes after chromosome breakage.

Validation and Application of a Commercial Quantitative Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase-PCR Assay in Investigation of a Large Dengue Virus Outbreak in Southern Taiwan.

Background: Accurate, rapid, and early diagnosis of dengue virus (DENV) infections is essential for optimal clinical care. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of the quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR)-LightMix dengue virus EC kit for DENV detection using samples from a dengue outbreak in Taiwan in 2015.

Methods: Sera from patients with suspected DENV infection were analyzed and compared using the LightMix kit, a Dengue NS1 Ag + Ab Combo kit for detection of NS1 antigen and DENV-specific IgM and IgG antibodies, and an "in-house" qualitative DENV-specific RT-PCR assay.

Unique clustering genes in the bacterial chromosome affecting the type-III secretion of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli.

Bioinformatics analysis was used to search for unknown genes that might influence the phenotypic presentations of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). By so doing and using the known genomic data from EHEC O157  : H7 and K-12, it has been deduced that genes Z4863 to Z4866 of EHEC do not exist in K-12 strains. These four gene sequences have low degrees of homology (18-40 % amino acid identities) to a set of genes in K-12, which have been known to encode fatty acid biosynthesis enzymes.

Electroactive polymers for sensing.

Electromechanical coupling in electroactive polymers (EAPs) has been widely applied for actuation and is also being increasingly investigated for sensing chemical and mechanical stimuli. EAPs are a unique class of materials, with low-moduli high-strain capabilities and the ability to conform to surfaces of different shapes. These features make them attractive for applications such as wearable sensors and interfacing with soft tissues.

Comparison of Two Commercial Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction and Integrated Quantitation Real-Time PCR Platforms for the Detection of Cytomegalovirus in Plasma.

Quantitation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) viral load in the transplant patients has become a standard practice for monitoring the response to antiviral therapy. The cut-off values of CMV viral load assays for preemptive therapy are different due to the various assay designs employed. To establish a sensitive and reliable diagnostic assay for preemptive therapy of CMV infection, two commercial automated platforms including m2000sp extraction system integrated the Abbott RealTime (m2000rt) and the Roche COBAS AmpliPrep for extraction integrated COBAS Taqman (CAP/CTM) were evaluated using WHO international CMV standards and 110 plasma specimens from transplant patients.

BMVC test, an improved fluorescence assay for detection of malignant pleural effusions.

The diagnosis of malignant pleural effusions is an important issue in the management of malignancy patients. Generally, cytologic examination is a routine diagnostic technique. However, morphological interpretation of cytology is sometimes inconclusive.

An essential role for the DNA breakage-repair protein Ku80 in programmed DNA rearrangements in Tetrahymena thermophila.

Programmed DNA rearrangements are important processes present in many organisms. In the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila, DNA rearrangements occur during the sexual conjugation process and lead to the deletion of thousands of specific DNA segments and fragmentation of the chromosomes. In this study, we found that the Ku80 homologue, a conserved component of the nonhomologous end-joining process of DNA repair, was essential for these two processes.