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This paper illustrates the application of ultra-fast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a noninvasive tool to study the dispersion of a dry, static granular bed by the injection of a liquid. Spatial distributions of undispersed grains (poppy seeds) and injected water were independently imaged at sub-millimetre resolution in 2D with ultra-fast MRI techniques. A liquid jet was observed above the bottom injection orifice, complementing optical imaging. Co-registration of the grains and water images enables the interaction of the static grains and of the liquid jet to be observed for the first time in situ. This visualization of the dispersion process can be used to identify optimal process parameters for a fast and uniform dispersion and to validate quantitatively numerical granular-fluid simulations [1].

Background Experimental approach Results Conclusions Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with gradual memory loss and anxiety which affects ~75% of AD patients. This study investigated whether AD‐associated anxiety correlated with modulation of extrasynaptic δ‐subunit‐containing GABAA receptors (δ‐GABAARs) in experimental mouse models of AD.We combined behavioural experimental paradigms to measure cognition performance, and anxiety with neuroanatomy and molecular biology, using familial knock‐in (KI) mouse models of AD that harbour β‐amyloid (Aβ) precursor protein App (AppNL‐F) with or without humanized microtubule‐associated protein tau (MAPT), age‐matched to wild‐type control mice at three different age windows.AppNL‐F KI and AppNL‐F/MAPT AD models showed a similar magnitude of cognitive decline and elevated magnitude of anxiety correlated with neuroinflammatory hallmarks, including triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2), reactive astrocytes and activated microglia consistent with accumulation of Aβ, tau and down‐regulation of Wnt/β‐catenin signalling compared to aged‐matched WT controls. In both the CA1 region of the hippocampus and dentate gyrus, there was an age‐dependent decline in the expression of δ‐GABAARs selectively expressed in parvalbumin (PV)‐expressing interneurons, encapsulated by perineuronal nets (PNNs) in the AD mouse models compared to WT mice.In vivo positive allosteric modulation of the δ‐GABAARs, using a δ‐selective‐compound DS2, decreased the level of anxiety in the AD mouse models, which was correlated with reduced hallmarks of neuroinflammation, and ‘normalisation’ of the expression of δ‐GABAARs.Our data show that the δ‐GABAARs could potentially be targeted for alleviating symptoms of anxiety, which would greatly improve the quality of life of AD individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) modification in RNA has been implicated in diverse biological processes. However, very little is currently known about its role in nociceptive modulation. Here, we found that the level of spinal m 6 A modification was significantly increased in a mouse model of Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA)-induced chronic inflammatory pain, which was accompanied with the augmentation of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) expression in the spinal cord. Knockdown of spinal METTL3 prevented and reversed CFA-induced pain behaviors and spinal neuronal sensitization. In contrast, overexpression of spinal METTL3 produced pain behaviors and neuronal sensitization in naive mice. Moreover, we found that METTL3 positively modulated the pri-miR-65-3p processing in a microprocessor protein DiGeorge critical region 8-dependent manner. Collectively, our findings reveal an important role of METTL3-mediated m 6 A modification in nociceptive sensitization and provide a novel perspective on m 6 A modification in the development of pathological pain., (© 2019 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.)

Objective: To investigate the effects of cisplatin plus hyperthermia on erythrocytes and killing human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2), gastro carcinoma (SGC7901) and colonic carcinoma (SW620) cells in the intra-operative blood salvage from cancer surgery in vitro., Methods: HepG2, SGC7901 or SW620 cells were mixed into the aliquot of erythrocyte concentrated from each intra-operative blood salvage of 30 patients subjected to gastrointestinal cancer surgery. The mixture cells were divided into the following groups (n = 30): A group (37 °C); B group (42 °C); C, D, E groups (50, 100, or 200 µg/ml DDP); F, G, H, I groups (42 °C, 25, 50, 100, or 200 µg/ml DDP). After treating for 60 min, tumor cells and erythrocytes were separated by density gradient centrifugation. The Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity, cell count, osmotic fragility, and blood gas variables were determined in erythrocytes. Cell viability and colony formation were determined in tumor cells., Results: Compared with A [(0.30 ± 0.08) µmol Pi/10(7)/h], the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity was significantly decreased in E, H and I groups [(0.24 ± 0.07), (0.25 ± 0.06) and (0.24 ± 0.07) µmol Pi/10(7)/h] (P < 0.05). Extra-erythrocytic K(+) in E, H and I groups [(2.16 ± 0.37), (2.16 ± 0.38) and (2.56 ± 0.50) mmol/L] were significantly increased compared with A group [(1.53 ± 0.43) mmol/L] (P < 0.05). Compared with A group, osmotic fragility in E, H and I groups was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Among B, C, D, E, F, G groups, only in G group colony formations of HepG2, SGC7901, and SW620 (0% ± 0%, 0% ± 0% and 0.01% ± 0.01%) at 14 d were completely inhibited (P < 0.01) compared with A group (78.54% ± 7.83%, 72.28% ± 6.58% and 66.69% ± 6.69%)., Conclusion: Pretreatment with cisplatin (50 µg/ml) plus hyperthermia (42 °C) for 60 min in vitro might be an effective strategy to clear tumor cells contamination but preserve erythrocytes, which is worthy to be optimized and used in the intra-operative blood salvage in cancer surgery.