Alteration of Diastereoisomeric and Enantiomeric Profiles of Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in Adult Chicken Tissues, Eggs, and Hatchling Chickens.

The concentrations and enantiomer fractions (EFs) of α-, β-, and γ-hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) were measured in chicken diet sources (soil and chicken feed), home-raised adult chicken (Gallus domesticus) tissues, eggs during incubation, and hatchling chicken tissues. HBCD concentrations were not detected-0.69 ng/g dry weight (dw) and 25.

MiR-503 Promotes Bone Formation in Distraction Osteogenesis through Suppressing Smurf1 Expression.

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a unique technique for promoting bone formation in clinical practice. However the underlying mechanism remains elusive. As epigenetic mediators, microRNAs have been reported to play important roles in regulating osteogenesis.

Halogenated organic pollutants in marine biota from the Xuande Atoll, South China Sea: Levels, biomagnification and dietary exposure.

Six marine biota species were collected from the Xuande Atoll, South China Sea to investigate the bioaccumulation of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) and dechlorane plus (DP). Pike conger (Muraenesox talabonoides) had the highest concentrations of halogenated organic pollutants (HOPs) among the six marine biota species. DDTs were the predominant HOPs, followed by PCBs and PBDEs, with minor contributions of DBDPE and DP.

Correction: Systemic Administration of Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells Does Not Halt Osteoporotic Bone Loss in Ovariectomized Rats.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Feature selection using a one dimensional naïve Bayes' classifier increases the accuracy of support vector machine classification of CDR3 repertoires.

Motivation: Somatic DNA recombination, the hallmark of vertebrate adaptive immunity, has the potential to generate a vast diversity of antigen receptor sequences. How this diversity captures antigen specificity remains incompletely understood. In this study we use high throughput sequencing to compare the global changes in T cell receptor β chain complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3β) sequences following immunization with ovalbumin administered with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) or CFA alone.

Long noncoding RNA H19 accelerates tenogenic differentiation and promotes tendon healing through targeting miR-29b-3p and activating TGF-β1 signaling.

Tendon injures are common orthopedic conditions, but tendon development and the pathogenesis of tendon injures, such as tendinopathy, remain largely unknown and have limited the development of clinical therapy. Studies on tenogenic differentiation at the molecular level may help in developing novel therapeutic strategies. As novel regulators, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to have widespread biological functions, and emerging evidence demonstrates that lncRNAs may play important regulatory roles in cell differentiation and tissue regeneration.

An Image-Domain Contrast Material Extraction Method for Dual-Energy Computed Tomography.

Objectives: Conventional material decomposition techniques for dual-energy computed tomography (CT) assume mass or volume conservation, where the CT number of each voxel is fully assigned to predefined materials. We present an image-domain contrast material extraction process (CMEP) method that preferentially extracts contrast-producing materials while leaving the remaining image intact.

Materials And Methods: Image processing freeware (Fiji) is used to perform consecutive arithmetic operations on a dual-energy ratio map to generate masks, which are then applied to the original images to generate material-specific images.

Benefit of iodine density images to reduce out-of-field image artifacts at rapid kVp switching dual-energy CT.

Purpose: To evaluate the reduction of out-of-field artifacts caused by body parts outside the field of view (FOV) at rapid kVp switching dual-energy CT (rsDECT).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study was approved by our institutional review board. Informed consent was not required.

The Effect of Patient Diameter on the Dual-Energy Ratio of Selected Contrast-Producing Elements.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess whether the low- to high-kVp computed tomography (CT) number ratio at dual-energy CT is affected by changes in patient diameter.

Methods: Seven contrast-producing elements were housed sequentially within an abdomen phantom. Fat rings enlarged the phantom diameter from 26 to 44 cm.

Pelvic Beam-Hardening Artifacts in Dual-Energy CT Image Reconstructions: Occurrence and Impact on Image Quality.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the frequency and appearance of beam-hardening artifacts on rapid-kilovoltage-switching dual-energy CT (DECT) image reconstructions of the pelvis.

Materials And Methods: Monochromatic (70, 52, and 120 keV) and material decomposition CT images (iodine-water and water-iodine) from consecutive pelvic rapid-kilovoltage-switching DECT scans were retrospectively evaluated. We recorded the presence, type (high versus low attenuation), and severity of beam-hardening artifacts (Likert scale from 0, barely seen, to 4, severe), clarity of anatomic delineation (Likert scale from 0, unimpaired, to 4, severely impaired) and SD of CT numbers, iodine and water concentrations, and gray-scale values for artifact-affected regions and corresponding unaffected reference tissue.

The Use of Cocultured Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Tendon-Derived Stem Cells as a Better Cell Source for Tendon Repair.

The management of tendon tissue injury presents a significant clinical challenge due to the unique properties of tendons. Cell-based therapy provides a new alternative for regenerating functional tendons, such as in tendon rupture repair, but largely remains at the preclinical research stage. A cell source for graft preparation is essential for successful clinic application.

Systemic Administration of Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells Does Not Halt Osteoporotic Bone Loss in Ovariectomized Rats.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have innate ability to self-renew and immunosuppressive functions, and differentiate into various cell types. They have become a promising cell source for treating many diseases, particular for bone regeneration. Osteoporosis is a common metabolic bone disorder with elevated systemic inflammation which in turn triggers enhanced bone loss.

Fluid-structure interaction analysis of the drop impact test for helicopter fuel tank.

The crashworthiness of helicopter fuel tank is vital to the survivability of the passengers and structures. In order to understand and improve the crashworthiness of the soft fuel tank of helicopter during the crash, this paper investigated the dynamic behavior of the nylon woven fabric composite fuel tank striking on the ground. A fluid-structure interaction finite element model of the fuel tank based on the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method was constructed to elucidate the dynamic failure behavior.

Human fetal mesenchymal stem cell secretome enhances bone consolidation in distraction osteogenesis.

Background: Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is one of the most dramatic reconstructive techniques for inducing bone regeneration, but it involves an undesirably long period for bone consolidation. Developing innovative approaches to enhance bone consolidation is a burning need. Human fetal mesenchymal stem cells (hFMSCs) have been shown to express more primitive developmental genes than those of human adult mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs), which is a preferable source for cell therapy and tissue regeneration.

Levels of five metals in male hair from urban and rural areas of Chongqing, China.

Heavy metals were measured by flame atomic absorption in male hair from residents in urban and rural areas in Chongqing. The median values of the Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were 2.90, 23.

Effect of cartilaginous matrix components on the chondrogenesis and hypertrophy of mesenchymal stem cells in hyaluronic acid hydrogels.

The microenvironment of the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in directing the viability and subsequent differentiation of the encapsulated stem cells by the specific integration between the hydrated biomolecules and cell surface receptors. Herein, we developed a hydrogel platform based on hyaluronic acid (HA) that presents cartilage ECM molecules as a form of developmental cues. The hybrid hydrogels were generated by coupling photo-cross-linkable methacrylated HA (MeHA) with selected cartilaginous ECM molecules including chondroitin sulfate (CS) and type I collagen (Col I), and we studied the decoupled function of these cues in regulating the initial chondrogenesis, subsequent hypertrophy, and tissue mineralization by hMSCs.

Staphylococcal enterotoxin C2 expedites bone consolidation in distraction osteogenesis.

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) technique could be used to manage large-size bone defect successfully, but DO process usually requires long duration of bone consolidation. Innovative approaches for augmenting bone consolidation are of great need. Staphylococcal enterotoxin C2 (SEC2) has been found to suppress osteoclastogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro.

Effects of duration of wearing high-heeled shoes on plantar pressure.

In the present study we investigated the effects of different durations of using high-heeled shoes on plantar pressure and gait. A questionnaire survey and dynamic plantar pressure measurements were performed in 20 control females and 117 females who had worn high-heeled shoes for a long time. According to the duration of using high-heeled shoes (as specified in the questionnaire), subjects were divided into a control group and five groups with different durations of use (i.

Spatial and Vertical Distribution of Dechlorane Plus in Mangrove Sediments of the Pearl River Estuary, South China.

Thirty surface sediments and three sediment cores were collected from mangrove wetlands in the Pearl River Estuary of South China to investigate the spatial and vertical distribution of Dechlorane Plus (DP). DP concentrations in the mangrove surface sediments ranged from 0.0130 to 1.

Mechanically resilient, injectable, and bioadhesive supramolecular gelatin hydrogels crosslinked by weak host-guest interactions assist cell infiltration and in situ tissue regeneration.

Although considered promising materials for assisting organ regeneration, few hydrogels meet the stringent requirements of clinical translation on the preparation, application, mechanical property, bioadhesion, and biocompatibility of the hydrogels. Herein, we describe a facile supramolecular approach for preparing gelatin hydrogels with a wide array of desirable properties. Briefly, we first prepare a supramolecular gelatin macromer via the efficient host-guest complexation between the aromatic residues of gelatin and free diffusing photo-crosslinkable acrylated β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) monomers.

An Experimental Model for Simultaneous Study of Migration of Cell Fragments, Single Cells, and Cell Sheets.

Recent studies have demonstrated distinctive motility and responses to extracellular cues of cells in isolation, cells collectively in groups, and cell fragments. Here we provide a protocol for generating cell sheets, isolated cells, and cell fragments of keratocytes from zebrafish scales. The protocol starts with a comprehensive fish preparation, followed by critical steps for scale processing and subsequent cell sheet generation, single cell isolation, and cell fragment induction, which can be accomplished in just 3 days including a 36-48 h incubation time.

CT Findings for Detecting the Presence of Gangrenous Ischemia in Cholecystitis.

Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CT in differentiating gangrenous cholecystitis from uncomplicated cholecystitis and healthy gallbladders.

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 308 patients with histologically proven gangrenous cholecystitis who underwent preoperative CT 1 month before gallbladder removal over a 4-year period. Two readers who were blinded to the histologic diagnosis independently recorded CT features of and overall likelihood of gangrenous cholecystitis on a 5-point scale (1, definitely absent; 5, definitely present).

Simultaneous removal of Cr(VI) and phenol by persulfate activated with bentonite-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron: Reactivity and mechanism.

The applicability of bentonite-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (B-nZVI) as a catalyst to activate persulfate (PS) for the simultaneous removal of Cr(VI) and phenol was systematically investigated in this study. Experimental results demonstrated that phenol degradation was significantly enhanced under acidic condition and with oxygen supply, whereas the Cr(VI) reduction was not obviously declined. The removal efficiencies of Cr(VI) and phenol in B-nZVI/PS combined system were 99.

Effects of Acanthopanax senticosus polysaccharide on the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle in human HepG2 cells.

One water-soluble polysaccharide (ASPS), with four molecular weight distributions of 74, 3.8, 4.5, 2.