Fiber-needle swept-source optical coherence tomography system for the identification of the epidural space in piglets.

Background: Epidural needle insertion is traditionally a blind technique whose success depends on the experience of the operator. The authors describe a novel method using a fiber-needle-based swept-source optical coherence tomography (SSOCT) to identify epidural space.

Methods: An optical fiber probe was placed into a hollow 18-gauge Tuohy needle.

Identification of the link between the hypothalamo-pituitary axis and the testicular orphan nuclear receptor NR0B2 in adult male mice.

The small heterodimer partner (SHP, nuclear receptor subfamily 0, group B, member 2; NR0B2) is an atypical nuclear receptor known mainly for its role in bile acid homeostasis in the enterohepatic tract. We previously showed that NR0B2 controls testicular functions such as testosterone synthesis. Moreover, NR0B2 mediates the deleterious testicular effects of estrogenic endocrine disruptors leading to infertility.

Effect of polyphenol supplements on redox status of blood cells: a randomized controlled exercise training trial.

Purpose: The effect of endogenous antioxidants can be either an immediate response (relying on enzymatic activities) or a long-term adaptation (relying on gene modulation events), both susceptible to be modified by antioxidants from diet and supplementation. The aim of this work was to delve in these aspects in circulating white blood cells in a group of volunteers (n = 33, 20-22 years) performing eccentric exercises and consuming or not (n = 8) different polyphenolic antioxidants (Lippia citriodora extract-PLX(®) n = 8, almond beverage n = 9 or a mixture of both n = 8) during 21 days.

Methods: We have designed a single-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial.

Closed-loop neuromodulation of spinal sensorimotor circuits controls refined locomotion after complete spinal cord injury.

Neuromodulation of spinal sensorimotor circuits improves motor control in animal models and humans with spinal cord injury. With common neuromodulation devices, electrical stimulation parameters are tuned manually and remain constant during movement. We developed a mechanistic framework to optimize neuromodulation in real time to achieve high-fidelity control of leg kinematics during locomotion in rats.

Importance of exercise in the control of metabolic and inflammatory parameters at the moment of onset in type 1 diabetic subjects.

The onset of type 1 diabetes coincides with the final phase of β-cell destruction. In some cases, this period is characterized by the presence of a functional reserve of β-cells, favouring an adequate metabolic control (honeymoon phase). Therefore, the extension of this situation could have evident benefits in subsequent diabetes management.

The effect of arm weight support on upper limb muscle synergies during reaching movements.

Background: Compensating for the effect of gravity by providing arm-weight support (WS) is a technique often utilized in the rehabilitation of patients with neurological conditions such as stroke to facilitate the performance of arm movements during therapy. Although it has been shown that, in healthy subjects as well as in stroke survivors, the use of arm WS during the performance of reaching movements leads to a general reduction, as expected, in the level of activation of upper limb muscles, the effects of different levels of WS on the characteristics of the kinematics of motion and of the activity of upper limb muscles have not been thoroughly investigated before.

Methods: In this study, we systematically assessed the characteristics of the kinematics of motion and of the activity of 14 upper limb muscles in a group of 9 healthy subjects who performed 3-D arm reaching movements while provided with different levels of arm WS.

Pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and efficacy of the antimalarial natural product bromophycolide A.

A suite of pharmacokinetic and pharmacological studies show that bromophycolide A (), an inhibitor of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant , displays a typical small molecule profile with low toxicity and good bioavailability. Despite susceptibility to liver metabolism and a short half-life, significantly decreased parasitemia in a malaria mouse model. Combining these data with prior SAR analyses, we demonstrate the potential for future development of and its bioactive ester analogs.

Corticospinal neuroprostheses to restore locomotion after spinal cord injury.

In this conceptual review, we highlight our strategy for, and progress in the development of corticospinal neuroprostheses for restoring locomotor functions and promoting neural repair after thoracic spinal cord injury in experimental animal models. We specifically focus on recent developments in recording and stimulating neural interfaces, decoding algorithms, extraction of real-time feedback information, and closed-loop control systems. Each of these complex neurotechnologies plays a significant role for the design of corticospinal neuroprostheses.

The Xeno-glycomics database (XDB): a relational database of qualitative and quantitative pig glycome repertoire.

Summary: In recent years, the improvement of mass spectrometry-based glycomics techniques (i.e. highly sensitive, quantitative and high-throughput analytical tools) has enabled us to obtain a large dataset of glycans.

Baculoviral transduction facilitates TALEN-mediated targeted transgene integration and Cre/LoxP cassette exchange in human-induced pluripotent stem cells.

Safety and reliability of transgene integration in human genome continue to pose challenges for stem cell-based gene therapy. Here, we report a baculovirus-transcription activator-like effector nuclease system for AAVS1 locus-directed homologous recombination in human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This viral system, when optimized in human U87 cells, provided a targeted integration efficiency of 95.

Survival outcome and treatment response of patients with late relapse from renal cell carcinoma in the era of targeted therapy.

Background: A subset of primarily localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients will experience disease recurrence ≥5 yr after initial nephrectomy.

Objective: To characterize the clinical outcome of patients with late recurrence beyond 5 yr.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Patients with metastatic RCC (mRCC) treated with targeted therapy were retrospectively characterized according to time to relapse.

Effect of omega-3 dietary supplements with different oxidation levels in the lipidic profile of women: a randomized controlled trial.

The oxidation level of omega-3 fatty acid supplements commercialized in capsules may be a risk to consumers' health. For this purpose, we have designed a single-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial in which 52 women participated. Volunteers were randomly distributed into three groups consuming: (1) less oxidized oil pills, (2) highly oxidized oil pills and (3) no capsules.

[Condition optimization for degradation of chlorophenols using laccase from Amillariella mellea].

Crude laccase extracted from the Amillariella mellea fermentation broth was directly used to catalyze the degradation of 2,4-chlorophenol (2,4-DCP) and 2-chlorophenol (2-CP). The effects of reaction time, pH, temperature, chlorophenol concentration, and laccase dosage on the removal efficiency of chlorophenols were investigated. Optimal catalytic conditions for the degradation of chlorophenols were obtained and the degradation kinetics were analyzed.

Fabrication of PEG hydrogel microwell arrays for high-throughput single stem cell culture and analysis.

Microwell arrays are cell culture and imaging platforms to assess cells at a single cell level and in high-throughput. They allow the spatial confinement of single cells in microfabricated cavities on a substrate and thus the continuous long-term observation of single cells and their progeny. The recent development of microwell arrays from soft, biomimetic hydrogels further increases the physiological relevance of these platforms, as it substantially enhances stem cell survival and the efficiency of self-renewal or differentiation.

Artificial niche microarrays for probing single stem cell fate in high throughput.

To understand the regulatory role of niches in maintaining stem-cell fate, multifactorial in vitro models are required. These systems should enable analysis of biochemical and biophysical niche effectors in a combinatorial fashion and in the context of a physiologically relevant cell-culture substrate. We report a microengineered platform comprised of soft hydrogel microwell arrays with modular stiffness (shear moduli of 1-50 kPa) in which individual microwells can be functionalized with combinations of proteins spotted by robotic technology.

Biomaterials meet microfluidics: building the next generation of artificial niches.

Biomaterials are increasingly being developed as in vitro microenvironments mimicking in vivo stem cell niches. However, current macroscale methodologies to produce these niche models fail to recapitulate the spatial and temporal characteristics of the complex native stem cell regulatory systems. Microfluidic technology offers unprecedented control over the spatial and temporal display of biological signals and therefore promises new avenues for stem cell niche engineering.

Policy uncertainty and the conduct of stem cell research.

A survey of U.S. stem cell scientists shows that uncertainty following the legal challenge to the Obama Administration's hESC research policy has negative scientific and economic impacts and affects a range of stem cell scientists, not just those working with hESCs.

High-throughput methods to define complex stem cell niches.

The potential of stem cells in clinics and as a diagnostic tool is still largely unmet, partially due to a lack of in vitro models that efficiently mimic the in vivo stem cell microenvironment-or niche-and thus would allow reproducible propagation of stem cells or their controlled differentiation in vitro. The current methodological challenges in studying and manipulating stem cells have spurred intense development and application of microfabrication and micropatterning technologies in stem cell biology. These approaches can be readily used to dissect the complex molecular interplay of stem cells and their niche and study single-cell behavior in high-throughput.

Optimization of microfluidic single cell trapping for long-term on-chip culture.

The poor efficiency of microfluidic single cell trapping is currently restricting the full potential of state-of-the-art single cell analyses. Using fluid dynamics simulations in combination with particle image velocimetry to systematically optimize trap architectures, we present a microfluidic chip with enhanced single cell trapping and on-chip culture performance. Upon optimization of trap geometries, we measured trapping efficiencies of up to 97%.

Integration column: biofunctional polymeric nanoparticles for spatio-temporal control of drug delivery and biomedical applications.

Polymeric nanoparticle technology has evolved from drug carrier design to advanced multifunctional macromolecular structures. They enable drug delivery and release of a bioactive under spatio-temporal control rather than just passive release by a long-circulating carrier. As such, the carrier is enabling the biomolecule or the bioactive to carry out its designed biological function.

Integration column: artificial ECM: expanding the cell biology toolbox in 3D.

Many crucial cellular processes in our tissues are governed by complex, spatio-temporally regulated interactions between cells and their extracellular matrix (ECM). These interactions can be studied using well-established 3D in vitro model systems such as collagen gels or Matrigel generated from native ECM macromolecular components. Recent advances in the molecular design of 'smart' synthetic biomaterials have generated artificial ECM (aECM) that mimic some of the key structural and biochemical characteristics of their naturally derived counterparts and, thanks to their synthetic origin, promise to overcome some complexities of the latter.

A-ring ortho-specific monohydroxylation of daidzein by cytochrome P450s of Nocardia farcinica IFM10152.

The bioconversion of the isoflavonoid daidzein using whole cell Nocardia farcinica IFM10152 showed two kinds of major metabolic modifications, i.e. mono-hydroxylation and subsequent O-methylation.

Identification of alpha-Gal and non-Gal epitopes in pig corneal endothelial cells and keratocytes by using mass spectrometry.

Purpose: To investigate the expression of alpha-Gal or unidentified non-Gal antigens in pig corneal endothelial cells and keratocytes, we performed the qualitative and quantitative analysis by using mass spectrometry.

Methods: The N-glycans from common adult pig corneal endothelial cells and keratocytes cultured in vitro were directly analyzed by using mass spectrometric approaches. In addition, immunochemical staining was added to confirm the non-Gal antigen expression in pig corneal cells.

Micropatterning of hydrogels by soft embossing.

Conventional in situ hydrogel micropatterning techniques work successfully for relatively stiff hydrogels, but they often result in locally damaged surfaces upon demolding in the case of soft and fragile polymer networks formed at low precursor concentration. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a versatile method, termed soft embossing, for the topographical micropatterning of fragile chemically cross-linked polymer hydrogels. Soft embossing is based on the imprinting of a microstructured template into a gel surface that is only partially cross-linked.

Competition and intraguild predation between the braconid parasitoid Bracon hylobii and the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis downesi, natural enemies of the large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis.

In biological control programmes introduced natural enemies compete with indigenous enemies for hosts and may also engage in intraguild predation when two species competing for the same prey attack and consume one another. The large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an important pest of coniferous reforestation in Europe.