Fabrication of a PDMS-based substrate with a stiffness gradient for modeling the mechanical microenvironment in single and collective cell studies.

Mechanotransduction plays a pivotal role in shaping cellular behavior including migration, differentiation, and proliferation. To investigate this mechanism more accurately further, this study came up with a novel elastomeric substrate with a stiffness gradient using a sugar-based replica molding technique combined with a two-layer PDMS system. The efficient water solubility of candy allows easy release, creating a smooth substrate.

Evaluating Various Ultrasound Criteria for Determining Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Severity.

This study aimed at assessing the value of a variety of ultrasound criteria for grading carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) severity. Ultrasound evaluations were conducted on confirmed CTS patients by an experienced radiologist, blinded to NCS results. Cross-sectional area (CSA) at pronator quadratus muscle, carpal tunnel inlet and outlet, echogenicity, transverse motion during flexion, flattening ratio, and thickening of the flexor retinaculum were measured.

Designing non-overshooting fractional-order PI controllers for a particular case of fractional-order systems.

It is crucial to attain a non-overshooting step response in various applications. On the other hand, although various approaches have been presented to design fractional-order proportional-integral (FOPI) controllers in the literature, none of them can ensure a non-overshooting unit step response (USR) for the closed-loop system. This paper designs non-overshooting FOPI controllers for a fractional-order system (FOS) with one and two fractional orders.

Heterogeneity in cranial dura mater at the microscale: An In-situ and ex-vivo structural and mechanical investigation of sulcus and gyrus Dura.

This study examines cranial dura mater's structural and mechanical heterogeneity, focusing on the distinct properties between the sulcus and gyrus regions. Microscale analyses using two-photon microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed significant regional differences in thickness (p < 0.05), with sulcus dura being 1.

Overall survival with non-proportional hazards in first-line treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

This study aimed to identify the most effective first-line treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer based on overall survival, identify the most commonly used treatment, and generate a meaningful ranking among all available treatments based on their relative effectiveness. Researchers used the ANOVA parametrization method to fit the second-order fractional polynomial network meta-analysis with a random-effect model. Using a non-proportional hazards network meta-analysis, 46 treatments were compared by considering a combination of direct and indirect evidence extracted from clinical trial studies.

Exploring the Fibrous Nature of Single-Stranded DNA-Collagen Complexes: Nanostructural Observations and Physicochemical Insights.

Nucleic acid-collagen complexes (NACCs) are a self-assembled biomimetic fibrillary platform arising from the spontaneous complexation of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oligonucleotides and collagen. NACCs merge the extracellular matrix functionality of collagen with the tunable bioactivity of ssDNA as aptamers for broad biomedical applications. We hypothesize that NACCs offer a hierarchical architecture across multiple length scales that significantly varies compared to native collagen.

Molecular evaluation of sheep and goats isolates of and their antibiotic resistance.

exists as a commensal in the upper respiratory tracts of livestock, and poultry, and causes a wide variety of diseases in humans and animals. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of by bacteriological and molecular characterization in sheep and goats and screening the existence of capsule-specific genes and their antibiotic resistance pattern. Totally, 1650 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from apparently healthy sheep and goats and 460 lung tissues were collected from slaughtered animals in Fars province, Iran.

Auto-Segmentation and Classification of Glioma Tumors with the Goals of Treatment Response Assessment Using Deep Learning Based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Glioma is the most common primary intracranial neoplasm in adults. Radiotherapy is a treatment approach in glioma patients, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a beneficial diagnostic tool in treatment planning. Treatment response assessment in glioma patients is usually based on the Response Assessment in Neuro Oncology (RANO) criteria.

Nanoscale vibration could promote tenogenic differentiation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.

Regulation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) fate for targeted cell therapy applications has been a subject of interest, particularly for tissues such as tendons that possess a marginal regenerative capacity. Control of MSCs' fate into the tendon-specific lineage has mainly been achieved by implementation of chemical growth factors. Mechanical stimuli or 3-dimensional (D) scaffolds have been used as an additional tool for the differentiation of MSCs into tenocytes, but oftentimes, they require a sophisticated bioreactor or a complex scaffold fabrication technique which reduces the feasibility of the proposed method to be used in practice.

Genotypic evaluation of isolated from cattle and sheep by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

a Gram-negative bacterium exists as a commensal in the upper respiratory tracts of livestock, and poultry. It is causative agent of a range of diseases in mammals and birds including fowl cholera in poultry, atrophic rhinitis in pigs and bovine hemorrhagic septicemia in cattle and buffalo. This study aimed to isolate from sheep and cattle lungs sampled and assessed by bacteriological procedures and pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) characterization.

Comparison of the predictive value of the Helsinki, Rotterdam, and Stockholm CT scores in predicting 6-month outcomes in patients with blunt traumatic brain injuries.

Purpose: Despite advances in modern medicine, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are still a major medical problem. Early diagnosis of TBI is crucial for clinical decision-making and prognosis. This study aims to compare the predictive value of Helsinki, Rotterdam, and Stockholm CT scores in predicting the 6-month outcomes in blunt TBI patients.

Identification of in the throat and nose of dogs and cats by PCR.

is pathogenic for some domestic and wild animals. Due to the importance of this bacterium, its presence in dogs and cats has been investigated using PCR. Pharyngeal and nasal swabs were taken from 135 dogs and 42 cats.

Bioinformatics design of recombinant chimeric protein containing SipD and LptD immunogens and evaluation of its immunogenicity against Salmonella Typhimurium.

The growing emergence of resistant bacteria is the current global concern for the humans and animals. Vaccination could be the desirable method to preventing such infectious diseases. Safe and effective vaccines are urgently needed to manage and prevent Salmonella contamination.

Effects of chemically EGFR targeting on non-targeted physical cell behaviors in 2D and 3D microfluidic cultures of invasive and non-invasive breast cancer cell lines.

Cancer development comprehends changes in cell structural and physical states. Cancer cells are softer than normal cells, produce higher contractile forces, and migrate more easily. While chemotherapy, targets proteins involved in biological behaviors, it may affect cell physicomechanical state due to the interconnections among signaling pathways.

A phenotypic and molecular investigation of biofilm formation in clinical samples of .

 is identified as a versatile opportunistic microorganism with metabolic diversity contributing to a wide range of health burdens, especially in immunocompromised patients. This bacterium is the cause of 10 to 20% of nosocomial infections. In this study, we evaluated the phenotypic characterizations of biofilm formation in  clinical isolates using micro-titer plate assay.

Distribution of Class 1-3 Integrons in Carbapenem-Resistant Isolated from Inpatients in Shiraz, South of Iran.

Background: Health-care-associated infection (HAI) is effect on patients for the time of staying in the hospital. Opportunistic pathogens including Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the most dangerous biological agents in nosocomial infections. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of 3 classes of integrons carrying to carbapenem resistance in P.

A novel approach of recombinant laterosporulin production using the N-SH2 domain of SHP-2.

Background: The current study was aimed at evaluating the role of the N-SH2 domain of SHP-2 as a partner protein in the expression of a toxic peptide, laterosporulin (LTS). We also investigated its effects on the formation of the disulfide bond and functional folding of the peptide in vitro. The N-SH2-LTS protein was expressed as a His-tagged fusion protein, capable of undergoing enzymatic cleavage.

Chemical inhibitor anticancer drugs regulate mechanical properties and cytoskeletal structure of non-invasive and invasive breast cancer cell lines: Study of effects of Letrozole, Exemestane, and Everolimus.

Regardless of their target and mechanism, anticancer drugs directly influence biological behavior of cancer cells by activating chemical signaling pathways. Due to the complex interaction between diverse signaling pathways, these drugs may profoundly impact the physical characteristics of cancer cells and regulate their mechanical properties. In this study, the effects of two Aromatase Inhibitor (Letrozole and Exemestane), and one mTOR Inhibitor (Everolimus) on cell mechanical properties, actin content/distribution, and nuclear areas of two invasive and non-invasive breast cancer cell line after 24 h treatment with concentrations previously reported were investigated.

Molecular characterization of lumpy skin disease virus in Iran (2014-2018).

Lumpy skin disease was first reported in the western provinces of Iran in 2014, and this was followed by several outbreaks throughout the country. In this study, 10 Iranian lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) samples collected during the period of 2014-2018 were characterized by sequence analysis of the GPCR, LSDV142, and IL10LP genes. Sequence comparison of the respective genes revealed a close relationship between Iranian LSDV isolates and viruses from Asia and Europe.

Altered mechanical properties of actin fibers due to breast cancer invasion: parameter identification based on micropipette aspiration and multiscale tensegrity modeling.

The biophysical properties of cells change with cancer invasion to fulfill their metastatic behavior. Cell softening induced by cancer is highly associated with alterations in cytoskeleton fibers. Changes in the mechanical properties of cytoskeletal fibers have not been quantified due to technical limitations.

The prevalence rate of sexual violence worldwide: a trend analysis.

Background: The purpose of the present study is to showcase the image of Sexual Violence (SV) temporal trends through exploring differences in its prevalence rates during 1990-2017 across 195 countries and territories.

Methods: The SV prevalence rates were derived from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database during 1990-2017, worldwide. First, the Latent Growth Model (LGM) was employed for assessing the change in SV prevalence rate over time in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia & Oceania, for men and women separately.

Development of a double-recombinant antibody sandwich ELISA for quantitative detection of epsilon toxoid concentration in inactivated Clostridium perfringens vaccines.

Background: Epsilon toxin (ETX) causes a commonly fatal enterotoxemia in domestic animals. Also, ETX causes serious economic losses to animal husbandry. In this study, we selected several clones against ETX using repertoires displayed on filamentous phage.

Leader-following group consensus of discrete-time fractional-order double-integrator multi-agent systems.

The current study concerns with the leader-following group consensus issue for discrete-time fractional-order multi-agent systems. The agents are assumed as fractional-order double-integrators. The interconnection among the agents is characterized by a bidirectional fixed graph.

Identification of common key genes and pathways between type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis using transcriptome and interactome analysis.

Purpose: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are classified as T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Although convergent evidence proposed common genetic architecture for autoimmune diseases, it remains a challenge to identify them. This study aimed to determine common gene signature and pathways in T1D and MS via systems biology approach.