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The accumulation of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in proteins throughout the lifecycle has been studied for decades, particularly more so with the advent of soft-ionization mass spectrometry-based proteomic techniques. However, particular PTMs, such as the deamidations of asparagine and glutamine residues, continue to accumulate in proteins that remain into the forensic, archaeological, and palaeontological records. The accurate measurement of these ancient ‘molecular timers’ has been proposed as a method to not only differentiate between exogenous and endogenous proteins within complex mixtures (i.e., contamination), but also as a method of providing relative age estimations into geological time. In this study we explored the extent to which deamidation varies with chronological age across different proteins in bones, as well as investigated differences between proteins across dental calculus and archaeological ceramics. We also analysed the relationships between the observed extent of deamidation and the protein primary structure. We found that collagen obtained from archaeological bones showed a chronological dependence on the extent of deamidation observed, but only when they were from similar environments, supporting prior suggestions about ‘thermal age’ being a major influence on the deamidation observed. Our study on non-collagenous proteins (NCPs) in archaeological bones showed that while biglycan, and to a lesser extent chondroadherin, showed positive correlations between geological age and the extent of deamidation, others including fetuin-A and serum albumin did not. However, despite the well-known dependence of deamidation on the three-dimensional structure of the peptides, we were unable to find any clear correlation between the structural motifs of the peptides in archaeological bones and the extent of deamidation observed. Our analysis of a set of food proteins obtained from Neolithic archaeological ceramics in Catalhoyuk also showed similar deamidation levels irrespective of the protein structure. Overall, our results suggest that deamidation in archaeological samples could be useful for obtaining additional information beyond identification of species and tissue type, be that as a measure of protein endogeneity and potential contamination, or a measure of protein degradation, or as an indicator of thermal age and for relative dating; however, further research needs to be undertaken to understand why particular proteins are better for this than others, going beyond simple consideration of their secondary structure.

Ischemic tolerance is a phenomenon whereby transient exposure to a non-injurious preconditioning stimulus triggers resistance to a subsequent lethal ischemic insult. Despite the fact that not only neurons but also astrocytes and endothelial cells have a unique response to preconditioning stimuli, current research has been focused mostly on the effect of preconditioning on neuronal death. Thus, it is unclear if the blood-brain barrier (BBB) can be preconditioned independently of an effect on neuronal survival. The release of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) from perivascular astrocytes in response to an ischemic insult increases the permeability of the BBB. In line with these observations, treatment with recombinant tPA increases the permeability of the BBB and genetic deficiency of tPA attenuates the development of post-ischemic edema. Here we show that tPA induces ischemic tolerance in the BBB independently of an effect on neuronal survival. We found that tPA renders the BBB resistant to an ischemic injury by inducing TNF-α-mediated astrocytic activation and increasing the abundance of aquaporin-4-immunoreactive astrocytic end-feet processes in the neurovascular unit. This is a new role for tPA, that does not require plasmin generation, and with potential therapeutic implications for patients with cerebrovascular disease.

Purpose [68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 is a promising radiopharmaceutical for detecting tumour lesions in prostate cancer, but knowledge of the pharmacokinetics is limited. Dynamic PET-CT was performed to investigate the tumour detection and differences in temporal distribution, as well as in kinetic modelling of [68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 by tissue type. Methods Dynamic PET-CT over the lower abdomen and static whole-body PET-CT 80–90 min p.i. from 142 patients with biochemical recurrence were retrospectively analysed. Detection rates were compared to PSA levels. Average time-activity curves were calculated from tumour lesions and normal tissue. A three-compartment model and non-compartment model were used to calculate tumour kinetics. Results Overall detection rate was 70.42%, and in patients with PSA > 0.4 ng/mL 76.67%. All tumour lesions presented the steepest standardised uptake value (SUV) incline in the first 7–8 min before decreasing to different degrees. Normal tissue presented with a low uptake, except for the bladder, which accumulated activity the steepest 15–16 min. p.i.. While all tumour lesions continuously increased, bone metastases showed the steepest decline, resulting in a significantly lower SUV than lymph node metastases (60 and 80–90 min). Transport rate from the blood and tracer binding and internalisation rate were lower in bone metastases. Heterogeneity (fractal dimension) and vascular density were significantly lower in bone metastases. Conclusion Even at low PSA between 0.51 and 0.99 ng/mL, detection rate was 57%. Dynamic imaging showed a time window in the first 10 min where tumour uptake is high, but no bladder activity is measured, aiding accuracy in distinction of local recurrence. Kinetic modelling provided additional information for tumour characterisation by tissue type.

It has long been established that phytoplasma infection is the cause of the free-branching phenotype in poinsettia. However, relatively little is known about the ecology of the pathogen in planta. The present study evaluated the infection pattern of poinsettia branch-inducing phytoplasma (PoiBI) and its association with the poinsettia phenotype during cutting propagation. The presence of this pathogen in the poinsettia variety Luv U Pink was determined using PCR and sequence analysis. The infection density of PoiBI in distinct tissue types of different plant segments were then determined using quantitative PCR coupled with plasmid-based standard curves. Both vegetative-stage and flowering-stage plants were tested. The results showed that, despite being considerably variable among plants, the infection densities of PoiBI tend to be higher in source leaves located in the lower parts of the plant. The densities were consistently lower in tissues located at the top of the plants, regardless of the tissue type. Analysis of the infection densities among samples collected from six stock plants used in commercial production also revealed significantly different levels of PoiBI load. An association between PoiBI infection density in the stock plants and the level of branching in cutting-propagated plants (derived from the stock plants) was also observed; stock plants with low infection densities tended to produce smaller proportions of plants exhibiting higher degrees of branching both before and after pinching. These data suggest that uneven distribution of PoiBI within and among stock plants may lead to the production of cuttings with variable phytoplasma densities which may, in turn, affect the phenotypic uniformity of the plants produced. Overall, findings from the present work add to the understanding of PoiBI’s ecology and could provide implications to commercial poinsettia production.

Motivation MicroRNA (miRNA) precursor arms give rise to multiple isoforms simultaneously called ‘isomiRs.’ IsomiRs from the same arm typically differ by a few nucleotides at either their 5′ or 3′ termini or both. In humans, the identities and abundances of isomiRs depend on a person’s sex and genetic ancestry as well as on tissue type, tissue state and disease type/subtype. Moreover, nearly half of the time the most abundant isomiR differs from the miRNA sequence found in public databases. Accurate mining of isomiRs from deep sequencing data is thus important. Results We developed isoMiRmap, a fast, standalone, user-friendly mining tool that identifies and quantifies all isomiRs by directly processing short RNA-seq datasets. IsoMiRmap is a portable ‘plug-and-play’ tool, requires minimal setup, has modest computing and storage requirements, and can process an RNA-seq dataset with 50 million reads in just a few minutes on an average laptop. IsoMiRmap deterministically and exhaustively reports all isomiRs in a given deep sequencing dataset and quantifies them accurately (no double-counting). IsoMiRmap comprehensively reports all miRNA precursor locations from which an isomiR may be transcribed, tags as ‘ambiguous’ isomiRs whose sequences exist both inside and outside of the space of known miRNA sequences and reports the public identifiers of common single-nucleotide polymorphisms and documented somatic mutations that may be present in an isomiR. IsoMiRmap also identifies isomiRs with 3’ non-templated post-transcriptional additions. Compared to similar tools, isoMiRmap is the fastest, reports more bona fide isomiRs, and provides the most comprehensive information related to an isomiR’s transcriptional origin. Availability and implementation The codes for isoMiRmap are freely available at https://cm.jefferson.edu/isoMiRmap/ and https://github.com/TJU-CMC-Org/isoMiRmap/. IsomiR profiles for the datasets of the 1000 Genomes Project, spanning five population groups, and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), spanning 33 cancer studies, are also available at https://cm.jefferson.edu/isoMiRmap/. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of sample presentation (tissue type) and maturity (ripe and unripe) on the classification of banana (Musa Cavendish) samples sourced from two different geographical regions and analysed using mid infrared (MIR) spectroscopy. The coefficient of determination (R2) and the standard error of cross‐validation (SECV) obtained using partial least squares discriminant analysis were 0.83 (0.33), 0.75 (0.25) and 0.94 (0.19) for the prediction of maturity, geographical origin and tissue type, respectively. No effect of either of type of tissue (e.g. pulp or peel) or maturity was observed. The results of this study demonstrated that MIR spectroscopy might be used to classify the origin of the banana samples at different degrees of ripeness. However, one of the limitations of this study is on the number of samples analysed and further validation must be recommended using samples from other sources, regions and harvest seasons.

Current methods for intraoperative surgical margin assessment are inadequate in terms of diagnostic accuracy, ease-of-use, and speed of analysis. Molecular analysis of tissues could potentially overcome these issues. A system based on differential ion mobility spectrometry (DMS) analysis of surgical smoke has been proposed as one potential method, but to date, it has been able to function in a relatively slow and heavily controlled manner that is inadequate for clinical use. In this study, we present an integrated sensor system that can measure a surgical smoke sample in seconds and relay the information of the tissue type to the user in near real time in simulated surgical use. The system was validated by operating porcine adipose tissue and muscle tissue. The differentiation of these tissues based on their surgical smoke profile with a cross-validated linear discriminant analysis model produced a classification accuracy of 93.1% (N = 1059). The measurements were also classified with a convolutional neural network model, resulting in a classification accuracy of 93.2%. These results indicate that the DMS-based smoke analysis system is capable of rapid tissue identification from surgical smoke produced in freehand surgery. acceptedVersion

Pressure ulcers are agonizing and hard to treat. Forestalling pressure ulcers is essential in keeping up solace and treating them is rapidly fundamental. Aloe vera is a trademark source which can be of huge points of interest it isn't simply functional and besides viably open, yet the examination is done to notice the abatement in the recuperating time with the usage of aloe vera gel. The present study aims to assess the impact of aloe vera gel on pressure ulcers. A quantitative approach with one group pre-test-posttest research design was used to conduct the study in Thiruvallur District Head Quarter Government Hospital. 60 samples were chosen by using a convenient sampling technique. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to assemble the in sequence regarding demographic variables. The pre-assessment of the pressure ulcer was measured using PUSH Scale using the ruler and the trace paper. The wound assessment consists of wound size, exudates amount and tissue type. Routine wound dressing procedure was done using aloe vera gel and the post assessment was done on 1st, 5th and 10th day. The study results show significant improvement in the level of wound healing after the intervention at the level of p

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a popular modality in guiding minimally invasive thermal therapies, due to its advanced, nonionizing, imaging capabilities and its ability to record changes in temperature. A variety of MR thermometry techniques have been developed over the years, and proton resonance frequency (PRF) shift thermometry is the current clinical gold standard to treat a variety of cancers. It is used extensively to guide hyperthermic thermal ablation techniques such as high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) and laser-induced thermal therapy (LITT). Essential attributes of PRF shift thermometry include excellent linearity with temperature, good sensitivity, and independence from tissue type. This noninvasive temperature mapping method gives accurate quantitative measures of the temperature evolution inside biological tissues. In this review, the current status and new developments in the fields of MR-guided HIFU and LITT are presented with an emphasis on breast, prostate, bone, uterine, and brain treatments.Level of Evidence 5Technical Efficacy Stage 3 The project was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under Ireland’s European Structural, Investment Funds Programme 2014–2020 and Enterprise Ireland; Grant agreement: CF-2017-0826-P, Irish Research Council postgraduate scholarship GOIPG/2018/82 and the NUI Galway College of Science. peer-reviewed 2021-11-20

We present an analysis of the problem of identifying biological context and associating it with biochemical events described in biomedical texts. This constitutes a non-trivial, inter-sentential relation extraction task. We focus on biological context as descriptions of the species, tissue type, and cell type that are associated with biochemical events. We present a new corpus of open access biomedical texts that have been annotated by biology subject matter experts to highlight context-event relations. Using this corpus, we evaluate several classifiers for context-event association along with a detailed analysis of the impact of a variety of linguistic features on classifier performance. We find that gradient tree boosting performs by far the best, achieving an F1 of 0.865 in a cross-validation study.

In December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged as the causative agent for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a clinical syndrome with high incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Part of the pathophysiology of COVID-19-induced ARDS is explained by increased dead space ventilation from pulmonary microthrombi; this is supported by the existence of alveolar capillary microthrombi found on autopsies [1, 2]. This has prompted the use of therapeutic anticoagulation and thrombolytics [3–5]. Thus far, no clinical trials have been completed to evaluate the use of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) to treat COVID-19. The objective of this study was to determine whether rt-PA administration decreases dead space ventilation in patients with COVID-19., COVID19-induced ARDS is partly explained by the presence of microthrombi, motivating the use of thrombolytics. This study shows that thrombolytics decrease dead space ventilation in COVID-19 ARDS patients. https://bit.ly/2GdM44a

This research aimed to expand the nanomaterial-based drug loading method for the recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) treatment of acute phase thrombolysis in ischemic stroke. In this research, the coprecipitation method was used to prepare Fe3O4 magnetic nanomaterials. Polyacrylic acid (PAA) was coated on the surface of the nanomaterials. The nanomaterials were subjected to hydroxyl activation treatment so that it could be connected to rtPA. By EDC/NHSS method, rtPA was covalently attached to the surface of nanomaterials to form a composite nanomaterial that was modified by rtPA, which was FPA-rtPA. Firstly, the material was characterized, then the pharmacokinetics of the material was evaluated. Finally, the thrombus targeting and thrombolytic properties of the material were analyzed. In the experiment, Fe3O4, FPA, PAA, and FPA-PAA were monitored by FT-IR, the peak value of PAA at 1834 cm–1 meant C=O group, and PAA-FPA had a similar peak, each milligram of nanomaterial can be combined with 80.6 μg ± 1.4 μg of rtPA. In the pharmacokinetic test, the half-life of FPA-rtPA was 90 min, which was much higher than the half-life of rtPA in the free state (P < 0.001), so it was suitable as a targeted thrombolytic preparation; the fluorescence intensity of the FPA-rtPA group combined with the fibrin blood clot was significantly stronger than the FPA group, and rtPA-FPA can target fibrin thrombosis in the cerebral thrombosis model. After comparing the postoperative cerebral infarction area, the rtPA-FPA-based group of rats had a significant decrease in cerebral infarction area (P < 0.001), thus the nanomaterials had better thrombolytic properties.

Background and Purpose: In large artery occlusion stroke, both intravenous (IV) tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) and endovascular stroke treatment (EST) are standard-of-care. It is unknown how often tPA causes distal embolization, in which a procedurally accessible large artery occlusion is converted to a more distal and potentially inaccessible occlusion. Methods: We analyzed data from a decentralized stroke telemedicine program in an integrated healthcare delivery system covering 21 hospitals, with 2 high-volume EST centers. We captured all cases sent for EST and examined the relationship between IV tPA administration and the rate of distal embolization, the rate of target recanalization (modified Treatment in Cerebral Infarction scale 2b/3), clinical improvement before EST, and short-term and long-term clinical outcomes. Results: Distal embolization before EST was quite common (63/314 [20.1%]) and occurred more often after IV tPA before EST (57/229 [24.9%]) than among those not receiving IV tPA (6/85 [7.1%]; P P Conclusions: IV tPA administration before EST for large artery occlusion is associated with distal embolization, which in turn may reduce the chance that EST can be attempted and recanalization achieved. At the same time, some IV tPA-treated patients show symptomatic improvement and complete recanalization. Because IV tPA is associated with both distal embolization and improved long-term clinical outcome, there is a need for prospective clinical trials testing the net benefit or harm of IV tPA before EST.

Bioimpedance is a non-invasive technique that finds diverse applications in living systems for tissue characterisation and diagnosis of disease. Biological tissue exposed under alternating current exhibits complex impedance behaviour that requires effective underlying biophysical and electrical models for such applications. Whilst bioimpedance has been widely explored in clinical applications on human body, its impact on agriculture industry is currently limited. Hence the paper reviews bioimpedance method with a focus on evaluating underlying biophysical models and analysis techniques, and identifying differences and similarities between human and plant-based applications. The application emphasis for the human body includes tissue composition, nutritional assessment, and analysis of the cardiovascular system for blood flow, cardiac output, and vascular compliance. The emphasis for applications in plants includes nutritional assessment and vascular tissue and flow characteristics. Bioimpedance is shown to be an invaluable tool in tissue engineering for both the systems. However, many challenges remain for both, including insufficient accuracy of biophysical models leading to false-positive diagnosis, limitation of analysis techniques to specific population groups or tissue type, and need for devices and technological improvements to improve accessibility to new applications such as precision agriculture. This review thus identifies critical technological and application gaps in bioimpedance for future research.

The texture of Kimchi cabbage was investigated by determining the hardness variation of midribs by leaf order and midrib position and analyzing the hardness characteristic by probe type. The objective of this research was the development of assessment methods for hardness of Kimchi cabbages in cropping types of summer season production. The hardness of the midrib of Kimchi cabbage leaves varied depending on the degree of development of the internal and external epidermis and the vascular tissues. The midrib hardness of Kimchi cabbage leaves did not differ significantly among cultivation types and tended to be lower toward the inner leaf. Using the Volodkevich bite jaws probe or blade set probe to measure the cutting force proved to be a suitable approach for examining the texture characteristic of Kimchi cabbage. The peak force of hardness in volodkevich bite jaw probe test the smallest distance and the second and third peak force intervals distance showed shortest among all the tested probes. In addition, hardness force tests with inside and outside results pattern was similar. When measuring the cutting force of midrib by these probes, it is preferable to measure from the outer epidermis to the inner epidermis of the leaf midrib, at 40–50 mm from the leaf stalk, on the 2nd to 6th outer leaves of Kimchi cabbage head formation.

To investigate the expression level and clinical significance of fucosidase (AFU), glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), and thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) in the serum of patients with primary liver cancer (PHC). A total of 135 PHC patients in Baoji Central Hospital from September 2014 to February 2018 were selected as a research group (RG), while 127 healthy subjects were collected as a control group (CG). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the AFU, GGT, and TK1 concentrations in serum of the two groups, and the diagnostic value of combined detection of the three for PHC was analyzed. AFU, GGT, and TK1 concentrations in serum of the RG were dramatically higher than those of the CG (P< 0.050). ROC curve analysis showed that the sensitivity of AFU, GGT, and TK1 in the single diagnosis of PHC was 88.00, 94.00, and 66.00% respectively, and the specificity was 68.00, 54.00, and 66.00% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the combined diagnosis of PHC were 76.00 and 90.00%, respectively. AFU, GGT, and TK1 concentrations were different in the presence or absence of liver cirrhosis, TNM stage, and tissue type (P< 0.050). AFU, GGT, and TK1 concentrations in PHC patients were dramatically higher than those in healthy people. Combined detection of the three has good diagnostic value for PHC.

Aortic thrombosis during neonatal period is a rare event especially when it is not related to umbilical arterial catheters. A case of a premature infant with a gestational age of 25 weeks who suddenly developed, at the age of 44 days, poor arterial saturation (SaO2 60%) and legs pale and painful, is reported. In this patient, arterial and venous eco-color Doppler showed a complete aortic thrombosis distal to the renal arteries of unknown etiology. Thrombolytic therapy with tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) was immediately started with a bolus dose of 0.5 mg/kg/h followed by a continuous infusion of 0.2 mg/kg/h. Fresh frozen plasma was also infused in order to increase the concentration of plasminogen. We tried with success to avoid bleeding complications maintaining fibrinogen concentration over 500 mg/L and platelets over 100,000x109/L. Heparinisation with enoxaparin was started after 5 days of t-PA treatment and continued for 85 days. The premature infant recovered but physiotherapy and splints were needed for talipes equinovarus resulted as a consequence of distal thrombosis. Conclusion: The strategy for treating an acute arterial thrombosis in a neonate may include thrombolytic therapy with t-PA, taking into account that the rate of plasmin generation in newborns and overall activity is decreased compared to adults. The impaired response of newborns may be enhanced not by increasing the dose of t-PA but increasing plasminogen through fresh frozen plasma infusion.

INTRODUCTION: proper detection and analysis of the biological evidence is a crucial matter for crime scene reconstruction and the most promising method for tissue determination is the analysis of differential DNA methylation patterns according to cell or tissue type. These patterns are chemically and biologically more stable thus representing a more reliable identification tool. Identification of semen and sperms are particularly important, especially in sexual assaults, where sperms are the source of DNA in the human ejaculate. In practice, sperms isolated from sexual assault evidence lose most of their distinctive sub-cellular organelles upon which morphological identification depends. AIM OF THE RESEARCH: to identify stability of the FGF7 marker in stored seminal specimens. MATERIAL and METHODS: 15 seminal specimens stored for over 10 years were used along with 5 fresh samples for FGF7 assessment. RESULTS and CONCLUSION: DNA methylation proved to be a stable marker for both fresh semen and stored semen samples.

Blood and stem cell donation take place in the merit goods group that provides important benefits by saving the life of a lot of people but people generally don’t/can’t do it. In all countries, state institutions assume important roles to encourage blood and stem cell donations. There are different encouragements and orientations, like especially, public service announcements. This study brings forward an alternative proposal for increasing blood and stem cell donations. This study aims to make it possible that 5% of total annual income of real persons who donate blood 3 times a year is deduced and 30% of annual income of real persons who donate stem cells and who perform stem cell transplantation as their HLA tissue type matches is deduced as expenses, and therefore; to encourage of blood and stem cell donation., Kan ve kök hücre bağışı, yapıldığında birçok kişinin hayatını kurtararak önemli faydalar sağlayan fakat genelde insanların yapmadığı/yapamadığı erdemli mallar grubunda yer almaktadır. Bütün ülkelerde kan ve kök hücre bağışının özendirilmesi konusunda devletler önemli görevler üstlenmektedir. Başta kamu spotları olmak üzere farklı teşvik ve yönlendirmeler söz konusudur. Çalışma kan ve kök hücre bağışının artırılması konusunda alternatif bir öneri getirmektedir. Buna göre çalışmanın amacı, ülkemizde senede 3 kez kan bağışı yapan gerçek kişilere ilgili yıldaki toplam kazançlarının %5’ini, kök hücre bağışçısı olan ve HLA1 doku tipinin uyuşması sonucu kök hücre naklini gerçekleştiren gerçek kişilere ilgili yıldaki toplam kazançlarının %30’unu gider olarak düşülmesini ve bu sayede de kan ve kök hücre bağışının teşvik edilmesini sağlamaktır.ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES We used laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to quantify gadolinium in hair samples from autopsy cases with gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) exposure. Hair gadolinium data were correlated with gadolinium concentrations in brain, skin, and bone tissues from the same case to investigate a potential noninvasive method for gadolinium quantification and monitoring. MATERIALS AND METHODS Medical records from autopsy cases at our institution were screened for history of GBCA exposure. Cases with exposure to a single type of GBCA with the most recent injection occurring within 1 year were identified and included in the study. The concentration of gadolinium in hair samples was analyzed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and brain (globus pallidus, dentate nucleus, white matter), bone, and skin tissues were analyzed by bulk inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The mean of the maximum value in the hair samples was used to generate a representative measurement of the hair gadolinium concentration for each case. A linear regression analysis between each tissue type and hair was conducted to assess for possible correlation. RESULTS Tissue and hair samples from 18 autopsies (16 cases with exposure to GBCA, 2 controls) were included in the study. Comparing the different tissues revealed good correlation between some tissue types. The best model fit occurred between white matter and hair (R = 0.83; P < 0.0001) followed by the comparison between dentate nucleus and hair (R = 0.72; P < 0.0001) and dentate nucleus and skin (R = 0.70; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS A significant correlation in this study between hair gadolinium concentrations and brain and skin gadolinium concentrations suggests that hair may serve as a safe and effective biomonitoring tissue for patients who receive GBCA injections.

BACKGROUND Pericardial access is complicated by two difficulties: confirming when the needle tip is in the pericardial space, and avoiding complications during access, such as inadvertently puncturing other organs. Conventional imaging tools are inadequate for addressing these difficulties, as they lack soft-tissue markers that could be used as guidance during access. A system that can both confirm access and avoid inadvertent organ injury is needed. METHODS A 21G micropuncture needle was modified to include two small electrodes at the needle tip. With continuous bioimpedance monitoring from the electrodes, the needle was used to access the pericardium in porcine models (n = 4). The needle was also visualized in vivo by using an electroanatomical map (n = 2). Bioimpedance data from different tissues were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS Bioimpedance data collected from the subcutaneous space (992.8 ± 13.1 Ω), anterior mediastinum (972.2 ± 14.2 Ω), pericardial space (323.2 ± 17.1 Ω), mid-myocardium (349.7 ± 87.6 Ω), right ventricular cavity (235.0 ± 9.7 Ω), lung (1142.0 ± 172.0 Ω), liver (575.0 ± 52.6 Ω), and blood (177.5 ± 1.9 Ω) differed significantly by tissue type (P

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to compare the percentage of tissue types and assess the presence/absence of odontoblasts or preodontoblasts in granulation tissue harvested from lesions associated with teeth extracted due to endodontic and periodontal reasons. MATERIALS AND METHODS Histologic reports of cases with a confirmed diagnosis (ie, endodontic or periodontal diseases) were included. These should include a semiquantitative analysis of the percentage of tissue types per sample (ie, epithelium, subepithelial connective tissue, bone or chronic inflammation/deep connective tissue). The overall percentage of tissue type per diagnosis was calculated. Quantitative variables were summarized with means and standard deviations. Normal distribution was tested by the D'Agostino-Pearson omnibus normality test. The level of P < .05 was adopted for statistical significance. Finally, an analysis of the salient findings was summarized. RESULTS The reports from 19 patients were included, 9 of endodontic and 10 of periodontal origins. The granulomatous tissue of endodontic and periodontal disease origin was similar, and consisted mainly of chronic inflammation (endodontic 40%, periodontal 41.7%), followed by epithelium (endodontic 25.7%, periodontal 29.2%), subepithelial connective tissue (endodontic 18.6%, periodontal 20.8%), and bone (endodontic 15.7%, periodontal 8.3%). No significant differences were found when comparing the groups regarding the percentage of tissue types (P ≥ .05). No osteoblasts or preosteoblasts were reported. CONCLUSION Within the limitations of the study, the granulomatous tissues associated with chronic infection of endodontic or periodontal origin are comparable and consist primarily of chronic inflammatory cells.

Background Histological differentiation between hypertrophic scars (HSs) and keloids has been considered difficult. In this study, we analyzed differences in the 3-dimensional tissue architecture between HSs and keloids using focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM). Methods Five specimens each of normal skin, normotrophic scars (NSs), HSs, and keloids were investigated. Three sites in each specimen were observed by FIB/SEM tomography, resulting in an observation of 15 sites per tissue type. We identified fibroblasts and macrophages and assessed the contact ratio and the mode of intercellular contact (planar contact or point contact). The significance of differences among the 4 tissue types was determined by Fisher exact test. Results In normal skin, contact between fibroblasts and macrophages was observed at all 15 sites, and the mode of contact was always planar. There was contact at 87% of the NS sites (planar: point = 80%: 7%). In HSs, contact was seen at 80% of the sites (planar: point = 20%: 60%). In keloids, contact was found at only 15% of the sites (planar: point = 7.5%: 7.5%). The intercellular contact ratio showed no significant differences among normal skin, NSs, and HSs; however, a significant difference was noted between these tissues and keloids. The intercellular contact mode also showed no significant difference between normal skin and NSs, but a significant difference between these tissues and HSs. Conclusions These histopathologic findings suggest that FIB/SEM tomography is useful for distinguishing between HSs and keloids and can provide important knowledge for understanding the pathogenesis of keloids.

This research was carried out with the aim of comparing the effects of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) gel and gas dressing with serum physiologic applied to stage II pressure ulcer in coccyx of patients for 2 months on healing process and dressing costs. This prospective randomised controlled experimental study was conducted with 60 patients hospitalised in the palliative care unit after surgery. The experimental group (n = 30) was dressed with platelet‐rich plasma gel. The control group (n = 30) was treated with serum physiologic dressing. At the end of the 20th observation of the patients in the experimental group, it was found that the mean scores of area, exudate, and tissue type in pressure sores decreased statistically (P .05). The study showed that PRP gel had a positive effect on healing of stage II pressure ulcers with platelet‐rich plasma gel dressings. In addition, when evaluated in the long term, it was concluded that platelet‐rich plasma gel is easily accessible and less costly than serum physiological dressing.

Fatty acid profiles increasingly are being used to quantify foraging patterns of consumers, but the associated interpretation may vary with the tissue type and its lipid content. For salmonids, lipid deposits can be found in both dorsal and ventral (“belly flap”) areas of muscle tissues. However, it is uncertain whether belly flap and dorsal muscle fatty acid profiles are similar in natural populations of fish. We examined how fatty acid profiles of belly flap compared to those of dorsal muscle and the consequent impacts on dietary inferences. Fatty acid profiles were derived from lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) caught in five North American lakes: Champlain, Flathead, Michigan, Ontario, and Swan. Fatty acid profiles were most similar between tissues when lipid content of muscle was > ~10%, the threshold below which similarities decreased and thus increasingly affected dietary inference. Some fatty acids commonly used as trophic indicators preferentially accrued in one tissue over the other depending on lipid content of the tissues. Regardless of tissue type, fatty acid profiles were specific to each lake indicating that food web structures were distinctive over a broad geographic range. Fatty acid profiles of tissues from lakes Michigan and Ontario were highly similar, so were those from Flathead and Swan lakes, whereas those from Lake Champlain were distinct, having comparatively high proportions of 18:1n-9. We conclude that lipid storage areas like belly flaps likely provide a more accurate signal than muscle when using fatty acids to investigate dietary patterns, particularly when muscle lipid levels are low.

The effects of thrombo-prevention, such as antiplatelet and anticoagulant activity, have been reported with the usage of Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE); however, the detailed mechanism has not yet been fully investigated, especially the role of Krüppel-like factor 2 (KLF2). This study aimed to investigate whether GbE can activate KLF2 and then induce thrombomodulin (TM) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) secretion to enhance the effects of thrombo-prevention. Different concentrations of GbE were incubated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to evaluate its effect on endothelial cells. We found that KLF2 expression is correlated to the risk of atherosclerosis and venous thromboembolism in clinical practice. In the HUVEC cell model, GbE stimulated the expression of KLF2 in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, TM and t-PA secretion increased when the cells were cultured with GbE. Both the expressions and activities of TM and t-PA in the GbE-treated cells declined after KLF2 was blocked by shKLF2. In sum, with GbE treatment, KLF2 expression in human endothelial cells was significantly activated, which in turn induced an increase in the protein expression and activity of TM and t-PA. After shRNA inhibited the KLF2 expression, GbE stopped inducing the expression and activity of TM and t-PA. These findings suggest that GbE exerts an antithrombotic effect on endothelial cells by increasing the TM expression and t-PA secretion; further, KLF2 is a key factor in this mechanism.

BackgroundConsumption of animal tissues treated with antimicrobial agents may be deleterious if they contain violative levels of the residues. This study determined antimicrobial residues prevalence in broilers sold at Ikpa market, Nsukka, Nigeria.MethodsTissues from muscle, liver and kidney of 60 commercial broilers (180 samples) were tested for antimicrobial residues using the conventional Four Plate Test.ResultPrevalence of 80.0% (48/60) and 51.7% (93/180) was recorded in the birds and samples {muscle 40.0%(24/60); liver 55.0%(33/60) and kidney 60.0%(36/60)} respectively. There was no significant association between residue occurrence and tissue type (χ2 (2) = 5.206; p = 0.074). Possible antimicrobial classes detected were: macrolid (50.0%) at pH 8.0 with Micrococcus luteus; β-lactams and tetracyclines (64.4%) with Bacillus subtillis at pH 6.0; sulphonamides (53.3%) at pH 7.2 with Bacillus subtillis, and aminoglycosides (46.8%) at pH 8.0 with Bacillus subtillis. Twenty-four tissue samples were positive at all four pH levels indicating use of more than one class of antimicrobials during each treatment.ConclusionAntimicrobial residues were detected in commercial broilers (muscles, liver and kidney) sampled at Ikpa Market, Nsukka. This is of public health importance given that antimicrobial residues are not monitored in poultry consumed in Nigeria.

Controversy persists regarding the safety and efficacy of an accelerated low-dose recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) regimen for reperfusion therapy in acute pulmonary embolism. This study describes the outcomes of an accelerated low-dose rt-PA regimen for the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism in Vietnamese patients. This was a case series from October 2014 to October 2020 from 9 hospitals across Vietnam. Patients presenting with acute pulmonary embolism with high to intermediate mortality risk were administered alteplase 0.6 mg per kilogram (maximum of 50 mg) over 15 min. The main outcomes were the proportion who survived to hospital discharge and at 3 months as well as in-hospital hemorrhage (major and minor according to International Society of Thrombosis and Hemhorrage definitions). A total of 80 patients were enrolled: 48 (60%) with high risk for mortality and 32 patients (40%) with intermediate risk for mortality. A total of 7 (8.8%) died in hospital. All deaths occurred in the high-risk mortality group. The 73 patients who were discharged alive remained alive at 3 months follow up. During hospitalization, 1 patient (1.3%) suffered major bleeding, and 7 (8.8%) had minor bleeding. An accelerated thrombolytic regimen with alteplase 0.6 mg/kg (maximum of 50 mg) over 15 min for acute pulmonary embolism appeared be effective and safe in a case series of Vietnamese patients.

One of the challenges of modern biology and medicine is to visualize biomolecules in their natural environment, in real-time and in a non-invasive fashion, so as to gain insight into their physiological behavior and highlight alterations in pathological settings, which will enable to devise appropriate therapeutic strategies. Genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors constitute a class of imaging agents that enable visualization of biological processes and events directly in situ, preserving the native biological context and providing detailed insight into their localization and dynamics in cells. Real-time monitoring of drug action in a specific cellular compartment, organ, or tissue type; the ability to screen at the single-cell resolution; and the elimination of false-positive results caused by low drug bioavailability that is not detected by in vitro testing methods are a few of the obvious benefits of using genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors in drug screening. This review summarizes results of the studies that have been conducted in the last years toward the fabrication of genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors for biomedical applications with a comprehensive discussion on the challenges, future trends, and potential inputs needed for improving them.

Bioprinting is an emerging additive manufacturing technique which shows an outstanding potential for shaping customized functional substitutes for tissue engineering. Its introduction into the clinical space in order to replace injured organs could ideally overcome the limitations faced with allografts. Presently, even though there have been years of prolific research in the field, there is a wide gap to bridge in order to bring bioprinting from “bench to bedside”. This is due to the fact that bioprinted designs have not yet reached the complexity required for clinical use, nor have clear GMP (good manufacturing practices) rules or precise regulatory guidelines been established. This review provides an overview of some of the most recent and remarkable achievements for skin, heart, pancreas and cartilage bioprinting breakthroughs while highlighting the critical shortcomings for each tissue type which is keeping this technique from becoming widespread reality.

MicroRNA (miRNA) studies have been one of the most popular research areas in recent years. Although thousands of miRNAs have been detected in several species, the majority remains unidentified. Thus, finding novel miRNAs is a vital element for investigating miRNA mediated posttranscriptional gene regulation machineries. Furthermore, experimental methods have challenging inadequacies in their capability to detect rare miRNAs, and are also limited to the state of the organism under examination (e.g., tissue type, developmental stage, stress-disease conditions). These issues have initiated the creation of high-level computational methodologies endeavoring to distinguish potential miRNAs in silico. On the other hand, most of these tools suffer from high numbers of false positives and/or false negatives and as a result they do not provide enough confidence for validating all their predictions experimentally. In this chapter, computational difficulties in detection of pre-miRNAs are discussed and a machine learning based approach that has been designed to address these issues is reviewed.

Predicting cis-regulatory modules(CRMs) in a genome and predicting their functional states in various cell/tissue types of the organism are two related challenging computational tasks. Most current methods attempt to achieve both simultaneously using epigenetic data. Though conceptually attractive, they suffer high false discovery rates and limited applications. To fill the gaps, we proposed a two-step strategy to first predict a map of CRMs in the genome, and then predict functional states of the CRMs in various cell/tissue types of the organism. We have recently developed an algorithm for accurately predicting CRMs in a genome by integrating numerous transcription factor ChIP-seq datasets. Here, we showed that only three or four epigenetic marks data in a cell/tissue type were sufficient for a machine-learning model to accurately predict functional states of all CRMs. Our predictions are substantially more accurate than the best achieved so far. Interestingly, a model trained on different cell/tissue types in a mammal can accurately predict functional states of CRMs in different cell/tissue types of the mammal as well as in various cell/tissue types of a different mammal. Therefore, epigenetic code that defines functional states of CRMs in various cell/tissue types is universal at least in mammals. Moreover, we found that from tens to hundreds of thousands of CRMs were active in a human and mouse cell/tissue type, and up to 99.98% of them were reutilized in different cell/tissue types, while as small as 0.02% of them were unique to a cell/tissue type that might define the cell/tissue type.