Ultrasonographic assessment of the cutaneous changes induced by topical flavonoid therapy

Ultrasonography allows the quantification of dermal density and echogenicity changes during the physiological senescence process. Some active ingredients are able to slow down the tissular degeneration and disorganization process. The purpose of this study was to assess the cutaneous changes induced by the topical use of products containing Viniferol® as active ingredient, using high-frequency ultrasound. The study was performed over 12 weeks and included 80 healthy Caucasian female subjects, aged 22–75 years, divided into two groups: the study group and the control group. The product was applied according to a predetermined protocol. The measurements performed for each subject were: the thickness of the epidermis and dermis (mm), the number of low, medium, and high echogenic pixels, and the number of low echogenic pixels in the upper dermis/number of low echogenic pixels in the lower dermis. All the parameters showed a significant improvement. Ultrasound measurements showed an increase of the mean thickness of the epidermis (P < 0.0001) and dermis (P < 0.0001) following the application of the Viniferol product as compared to the control group. The changes in the dermal echogenicity confirm the efficacy and direct action of Viniferol upon the cutaneous fibroblasts. No side effects related to the treatment were recorded. The study proves the efficacy of this active ingredient in the cutaneous senescence process as well, as the fact that anti-aging prophylaxis should be initiated in the 20–40 year critical age group. This interval involves specific changes in dermal echogenicity that quantify intense molecular, biochemical and structural changes, being thus mostly and highly responsive to the anti-aging therapy

Ultrasonography as a New, Non-Invasive Imagistic Technique Used for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that involves the skin, nails, joints and other organs, being a systemic disease. Regardless of the clinical form, sonography can be effectively used to complete the clinical diagnosis

Unpacking the digital transformation of work:A study of framings and work (re)configurations with robotic process automation technology

A key question in digital transformation research concerns understanding the process through which the use of digital technologies eventually leads to transformative changes in work and organizations. We draw here from work configuration and orders of change and from technology framing lens to develop a cognitive model to explain how the digital transformation of work unfolds over time. Employing a multi-case study research design, we examine three organizations introducing a new automation technology. Our findings reveal that the transformation of work occurs progressively, involving sequences of framing actions; work configurations; and their effects on work and organizing. The transformation involves three stages: convergent, diffusing and divergent, and is propelled by two mechanisms: legitimation and accumulation of immediate effects. Our study exposes the mechanisms and activities involved in the digital transformation of work and reveals the paths through which automation and augmentation interpretations of digital technology can coexist in organization

The effect of biogel content on the some viscoelastic properties of a snail pate

Four sorts of snail pâté with different contents (0, 1, 2, 3%) of a vegetal protein (biogel) were prepared. The influence of the content of biogel on the viscoelastic characteristics of snail pâté were studied in this paper. These characteristics of snail pâté were derived from stress relaxation tests. The relaxation times and the elastic moduli, as viscoelastic characteristics, were calculated from the relaxation curves by non-linear regression. The best correspondence between experimental data and calculated curves was obtained for a mechanical model with three Maxwell elements in parallel with a lone ideal spring element. Every measurement was made in triplicate. From above viscoelastic parameters, the viscosities were calculated. Correlation between experimental relaxation curves and calculated curves were emphasized by absolute average deviation (AAD), the minimum AAD value being 0.15% and the maximum one 0.82%. The stiffest snail pâté contains 2% biogel, and the snail pâté with 3% biogel is more viscous

Protocol to analyze and validate transcriptomic changes in PDGFRβ-KO mesenchymal stem cell osteogenic potential in the mouse embryo

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) can differentiate into osteoblasts under appropriate conditions. PDGFRβ signaling controls MSC osteogenic potential both transcriptomically and in culture. Here, we present a “computer to the bench” protocol to analyze changes in MSC osteogenic potential at transcriptomic and cellular level in the absence of PDGFRβ. We detail the preparation of cells from mouse embryos, the analysis of transcriptomic changes from single-cell RNA-sequencing data, the procedure for MSC derivation and culture, and an osteogenic assay for functional validation. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sá da Bandeira et al. (2022).(1

The effect of biogel content on the some viscoelastic properties of a snail pate

Four sorts of snail pâté with different contents (0, 1, 2, 3%) of a vegetal protein (biogel) were prepared. The influence of the content of biogel on the viscoelastic characteristics of snail pâté were studied in this paper. These characteristics of snail pâté were derived from stress relaxation tests. The relaxation times and the elastic moduli, as viscoelastic characteristics, were calculated from the relaxation curves by non-linear regression. The best correspondence between experimental data and calculated curves was obtained for a mechanical model with three Maxwell elements in parallel with a lone ideal spring element. Every measurement was made in triplicate. From above viscoelastic parameters, the viscosities were calculated. Correlation between experimental relaxation curves and calculated curves were emphasized by absolute average deviation (AAD), the minimum AAD value being 0.15% and the maximum one 0.82%. The stiffest snail pâté contains 2% biogel, and the snail pâté with 3% biogel is more viscous

In vitro Antitumour Activity of Tomato-Extracted Carotenoids on Human Colorectal Carcinoma

The aim of this research was to establish whether all-trans lycopene extracted from fresh and frozen tomatoes is able to inhibit the in vitro proliferation of colon cancer cells, to trigger apoptosis by reactive oxygen species modulation and to reveal its influence on NF-kβ signalling, through the p65 transcription factor and expression of two TNF receptors: GITR and CD27. The carotenoid extracts containing all-trans lycopene were obtained from fresh (E1) and frozen/thawed (E2) tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), hybrid ‘Menhir’ F1. DLD-1 and HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines were co-cultivated with the two extracts and cytotoxicity, apoptosis, antioxidant activity, reactive oxygen species as well as modulation of NF-kβ signalling pathway were assessed. Tomato extracts E1 and E2 were able to inhibit colon cancer cell growth in vitro. E2 contained a higher proportion of all-trans lycopene and displayed superior cytotoxicity and a better apoptosis inducing capacity. The two extracts proved antioxidant activity against DPPH radicals and were able to scavenge the reactive oxygen species in the treated tumour cells. This study also showed that lycopene acts mainly through p65 protein and moderately by TNF receptors GITR and CD27 to deactivate the NF-kβ signalling pathway involved in cancer cell proliferation

Runx1+ vascular smooth muscle cells are essential for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell development in vivo

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) produce all essential cellular components of the blood. Stromal cell lines supporting HSCs follow a vascular smooth muscle cell (vSMC) differentiation pathway, suggesting that some hematopoiesis-supporting cells originate from vSMC precursors. These pericyte-like precursors were recently identified in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region; however, their role in the hematopoietic development in vivo remains unknown. Here, we identify a subpopulation of NG2 +Runx1 + perivascular cells that display a sclerotome-derived vSMC transcriptomic profile. We show that deleting Runx1 in NG2 + cells impairs the hematopoietic development in vivo and causes transcriptional changes in pericytes/vSMCs, endothelial cells and hematopoietic cells in the murine AGM. Importantly, this deletion leads also to a significant reduction of HSC reconstitution potential in the bone marrow in vivo. This defect is developmental, as NG2 +Runx1 + cells were not detected in the adult bone marrow, demonstrating the existence of a specialised pericyte population in the HSC-generating niche, unique to the embryo. </p

Vascular Wall-Resident CD44+ Multipotent Stem Cells Give Rise to Pericytes and Smooth Muscle Cells and Contribute to New Vessel Maturation

Here, we identify CD44(+)CD90(+)CD73(+)CD34(−)CD45(−) cells within the adult human arterial adventitia with properties of multipotency which were named vascular wall-resident multipotent stem cells (VW-MPSCs). VW-MPSCs exhibit typical mesenchymal stem cell characteristics including cell surface markers in immunostaining and flow cytometric analyses, and differentiation into adipocytes, chondrocytes and osteocytes under culture conditions. Particularly, TGFß1 stimulation up-regulates smooth muscle cell markers in VW-MPSCs. Using fluorescent cell labelling and co-localisation studies we show that VW-MPSCs differentiate to pericytes/smooth muscle cells which cover the wall of newly formed endothelial capillary-like structures in vitro. Co-implantation of EGFP-labelled VW-MPSCs and human umbilical vein endothelial cells into SCID mice subcutaneously via Matrigel results in new vessels formation which were covered by pericyte- or smooth muscle-like cells generated from implanted VW-MPSCs. Our results suggest that VW-MPSCs are of relevance for vascular morphogenesis, repair and self-renewal of vascular wall cells and for local capacity of neovascularization in disease processes