COMPARISON OF EMG ACTIVITY WITH DYNAMIC MOVEMENT AND STATIC POSTURE ON VIBRATION PLATFORM

The aim of this study is to investigate the difference among dynamic movement and static posture on vibration platform as well as no vibration. For this purpose, six healthy male subjects were recruited in this study. Each subject was instructed to maintain four situations: dynamic movement with vibration (frequency: 40 Hz, amplitude: 1 mm), and no-vibration; static posture with vibration (frequency: 40 Hz, amplitude: 1 mm), and novibration. Result showed statistically significant increase at EMG rms of whole body vibration treatment and EMG rms value of dynamic movement was significantly larger than that of static posture (

Case Report: Ribociclib-induced phototoxicity presented as dyschromia with subsequent bullae formation

Ribociclib, a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor, is a novel targeted therapy for advanced-stage breast cancer. Although ribociclib-induced cutaneous side effects have been previously noted, they have not been well documented. Herein, we present a case of ribociclib-induced phototoxicity, which manifested as dyschromia over sun-exposed forearms and neck initially and as bullae formation subsequently. A 71-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer developed dyschromia after daily treatment with ribociclib (600 mg) for 7 months. Skin biopsy of the pigmented lesion revealed interface dermatitis with melanin incontinence and dyskeratotic cells and ballooning keratinocytes with loss of melanocytes in the basal layer. Further, clefting at the basal layer of epidermis was noted in a more hyperpigmented field. Fontana–Masson staining revealed melanophages in the dermis. Human Melanoma Black-45 staining revealed decreased melanocyte numbers in the epidermis above the cleft. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed activated CD1a+ epidermal Langerhans cells and infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the epidermis and dermis, thereby indicating type IV hypersensitivity that was associated with damage to keratinocytes and melanocytes. To prevent progression of bullous dermatitis, we advised the patient to discontinue ribociclib and prescribed oral and topical prednisolone. Due to the risk of phototoxicity, we educated the patient on sun-protection strategies. The patient’s skin lesions subsided during the 2 months of treatment. Phototoxicity with dyschromia is a rare but significant ribociclib-induced cutaneous side effect. Early diagnosis, rapid ribociclib withdrawal, protection from sunlight, and prompt treatment are critical for preventing subsequent severe bullous dermatosis

Structural and Thermodynamic Factors of Suppressed Interdiffusion Kinetics in Multi-component High-entropy Materials

We report multi-component high-entropy materials as extraordinarily robust diffusion barriers and clarify the highly suppressed interdiffusion kinetics in the multi-component materials from structural and thermodynamic perspectives. The failures of six alloy barriers with different numbers of elements, from unitary Ti to senary TiTaCrZrAlRu, against the interdiffusion of Cu and Si were characterized, and experimental results indicated that, with more elements incorporated, the failure temperature of the barriers increased from 550 to 900°C. The activation energy of Cu diffusion through the alloy barriers was determined to increase from 110 to 163 kJ/mole. Mechanistic analyses suggest that, structurally, severe lattice distortion strains and a high packing density caused by different atom sizes, and, thermodynamically, a strengthened cohesion provide a total increase of 55 kJ/mole in the activation energy of substitutional Cu diffusion, and are believed to be the dominant factors of suppressed interdiffusion kinetics through the multi-component barrier materials

In vitro assay to estimate tea astringency via observing flotation of artificial oil bodies sheltered by caleosin fused with histatin 3

AbstractAstringency, a sensory characteristic of food and beverages rich in polyphenols, mainly results from the formation of complexes between polyphenols and salivary proteins, causing a reduction of the lubricating properties of saliva. To develop an in vitro assay to estimate the astringency of oolong tea infusion, artificial oil bodies were constituted with sesame oil sheltered by a modified caleosin fused with histatin 3, one of the human salivary small peptides. Aggregation of artificial oil bodies was induced when they were mixed with oolong tea infusion or its major polyphenolic compound, (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) of 100μM as observed in light microscopy. The aggregated artificial oil bodies gradually floated on top of the solution and formed a visible milky layer whose thickness was in proportion to the concentrations of tea infusion. This assay system was applied to test four different oolong tea infusions with sensory astringency corresponding to their EGCG contents. The result showed that relative astringency of the four tea infusions was correlated to the thickness of floated artificial oil bodies, and could be estimated according to the standard curve generated by simultaneously observing a serial dilution of the tea infusion with the highest astringency

Cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species production induced by different co-monomer eluted from nanohybrid dental composites

Background Safety issues for dental restorative composites are critical to material selection, but, limited information is available to dental practitioners. This study aimed to compare the chemical and biological characteristics of three nanohybrid dental composites by assessing filler particle analysis, monomer degree of conversion (DC), the composition of eluates, and cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in fibroblasts. Methods Three nanohybrid composites (TN, Tetric N-Ceram; CX, Ceram X Sphere Tec One; and DN, DenFil NX) were used. The size distribution and morphology of the filler particles were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (n = 5). The DC was measured via micro-Raman spectroscopy (n = 5). For the component analysis, methanol eluates from the light-polymerised composites were evaluated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (n = 3). The eluates were prepared from the polymerised composites after 24h in a cell culture medium. A live/dead assay (n = 9) and Water-Soluble Tetrazolium-1 assay (n = 9) were performed and compared with negative and positive controls. The ROS in composites were compared with NC. Statistical significance in differences was assessed using a t-test and ANOVA (α = 0.05). Results Morphological variations in different-sized fillers were observed in the composites. The DC values were not significantly different among the composites. The amounts of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were higher in TN than DN (p = 0.0022) and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) in CX was higher than in others (p < 0.0001). The lowest cell viability was shown in CX (p < 0.0001) and the highest ROS formation was detected in TN (p < 0.0001). Conclusions Three nanohybrid dental composites exhibited various compositions of filler sizes and resin components, resulting in different levels of cytotoxicity and ROS production. Chemical compositions of dental composites can be considered with their biological impact on safety issues in the intraoral use of dental restorative composites. CX with the highest TEGDMA showed the highest cytotoxicity induced by ROS accumulation. DN with lower TEGDMA and HEMA presented the highest cell viability.This work was supported by the Korea Medical Device Development Fund grant funded by the Korea government (the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Health & Wel‑fare, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) (Project Number: 9991006717, KMDF_PR_20200901_0044)

Rho Kinases Regulate the Renewal and Neural Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells in a Cell Plating Density–Dependent Manner

[[abstract]]BACKGROUND: Rho kinases (ROCKs) mediate cell contraction, local adhesion, and cell motility, which are considered to be important in cell differentiation. We postulated that ROCKs are involved in controlling embryonic stem (ES) cell renewal and differentiation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: CCE, a murine ES cell, was treated with Y-27632 for 48 to 96 hours and colony formation was evaluated. Y-27632 blocked CCE colony formation and induced CCE to grow as individual cells, regardless of the initial seeding cell density either at 10(4)/cm(2) ("high" seeding density) or 2x10(3)/cm(2) ("low" density). However, at high seeding density, Y-27632-treated cells exhibited reduction of alkaline phosphatase (AP) staining and Oct3/4 expression. They expressed SOX-1, nestin, and MAP2c, but not betaIII-tubulin or NG-2. They did not express endoderm or mesoderm lineage markers. After removal of Y-27632, the cells failed to form colonies or regain undifferentiated state. Silencing of ROCK-1 or ROCK-2 with selective small interference RNA induced CCE morphological changes similar to Y-27632. Silencing of ROCK-1 or ROCK-2 individually was sufficient to cause reduction of AP and Oct3/4, and expression of SOX-1, nestin, and MAP2c; and combined silencing of both ROCKs did not augment the effects exerted by individual ROCK siRNA. Y-27632-treated CCE cells seeded at 2x10(3) or 6.6x10(3) cells/cm(2) did not lose renewal factors or express differentiation markers. Furthermore, they were able to form AP-positive colonies after removal of Y-27632 and reseeding. Similar to ROCK inhibition by Y-27632, silencing of ROCK-1 or ROCK-2 in cells seeded at 2x10(3)/cm(2) did not change renewal factors. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that ROCKs promote ES cell colony formation, maintain them at undifferentiated state, and prevent them from neural differentiation at high seeding density. ROCK inhibition represents a new strategy for preparing large numbers of neural progenitor cells

Molecular events associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the absence of Epstein-Barr virus genome

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important process in tumor metastasis. The EMT-related events associated with metastasis of NPC in the absence of EBV have not been elucidated. We established an EBV-negative NPC cell line from a bone marrow biopsy of an NPC patient. Using a Matrigel system we isolated an invasive and non-invasive sublines, designated NPC-BM29 and NPC-BM00. NPC-BM29 acquired an invasive-like phenotype characterized by EMT, marked by down-regulation of E-cadherin and β-catenin with concomitant increased expression of Ets1. NPC-BM29 cells expressed ≥ 10-fold higher of MMP-9 than NPC-BM00 cells. NPC-BM29 cells grew better in 2% serum than NPC-BM00 cells, with a population doubling-time of 26.8 h and 30.7 h, respectively. A marked reduction in colony-formation ability of NPC-BM00 cells compared to NPC-BM29 was observed. Wound-healing assay revealed that NPC-BM29 cells displayed higher motility than NPC-BM00 and the motility was further enhanced by cell treatment with TPA, a PKC activator. Cell surface markers and tumor-associated molecules, AE3, MAK6 and sialyl-Tn, were up-regulated in NPC-BM29 cells, whereas the expression of HLA-DR and CD54 was significantly increased in NPC-BM00 cells. NPC-BM29 consistently released higher levels of IL-8 and IL-10 than NPC-BM00, with low levels of IL-1α expression in both cell lines. Higher level of VEGF production was detected in NPC-BM00 than NPC-BM29 cells. These data show that EBV is not required for exhibiting multiple metastatic phenotypes associated with EMT. More studies that target right molecules/signalings associated with the EMT may offer new therapeutic intervention options for NPC invasion and metastasis