521 research outputs found
Double-compartment culture system for conditioning vascular grafts with different trans-wall oxygen levels
A dynamic distention protocol for whole-organ bladder decellularization: histological and biomechanical characterization of the acellular matrix
A combined physical\u2013chemical protocol for whole full-thickness bladder decellularization is proposed, based on organ cyclic distention through repeated infusion/withdrawal of the decellularization agents through the urethra. The dynamic decellularization was intended to enhance cell removal efficiency, facilitating the delivery of detergents within the inner layers of the tissue and the removal of cell debris. The use of mild chemical detergents (hypotonic solution and non-ionic detergent) was employed to limit adverse effects upon matrix 3D ultrastructure. Inspection of the presence of residual DNA and RNA was carried out on decellularized matrices to verify effective cell removal. Histological investigation was focused on assessing the retention of adequate structural and functional components that regulate the biomechanical behaviour of the acellular tissue. Biomechanical properties were evaluated through uniaxial tensile loading tests of tissue strips and through ex vivo filling cystometry to evaluate the whole-organ mechanical response to a physiological-like loading state. According to our results, a dynamic decellularization protocol of 17 h duration with a 5 ml/min detergent infusion flow rate revealed higher DNA removal efficiency than standard static decellularization, resulting in residual DNA content\u2009<\u200950 ng/mg dry tissue weight. Furthermore, the collagen network and elastic fibres distribution were preserved in the acellular ECM, which exhibited suitable biomechanical properties in the perspective of its future use as an implant for bladder augmentation
A novel pulsatile platform for the ex-vivo evaluation of early remodelling events in human saphenous veins
On quantum mechanics with a magnetic field on R^n and on a torus T^n, and their relation
We show in elementary terms the equivalence in a general gauge of a
U(1)-gauge theory of a scalar charged particle on a torus T^n = R^n/L to the
analogous theory on R^n constrained by quasiperiodicity under translations in
the lattice L. The latter theory provides a global description of the former:
the quasiperiodic wavefunctions defined on R^n play the role of sections of the
associated hermitean line bundle E on T^n, since also E admits a global
description as a quotient. The components of the covariant derivatives
corresponding to a constant (necessarily integral) magnetic field B = dA
generate a Lie algebra g_Q and together with the periodic functions the algebra
of observables O_Q . The non-abelian part of g_Q is a Heisenberg Lie algebra
with the electric charge operator Q as the central generator; the corresponding
Lie group G_Q acts on the Hilbert space as the translation group up to phase
factors. Also the space of sections of E is mapped into itself by g in G_Q . We
identify the socalled magnetic translation group as a subgroup of the
observables' group Y_Q . We determine the unitary irreducible representations
of O_Q, Y_Q corresponding to integer charges and for each of them an associated
orthonormal basis explicitly in configuration space. We also clarify how in the
n = 2m case a holomorphic structure and Theta functions arise on the associated
complex torus. These results apply equally well to the physics of charged
scalar particles on R^n and on T^n in the presence of periodic magnetic field B
and scalar potential. They are also necessary preliminary steps for the
application to these theories of the deformation procedure induced by Drinfel'd
twists.Comment: Latex2e file, 22 pages. Final version appeared in IJT
Adventitial vessel growth and progenitor cells activation in an ex vivo culture system mimicking human saphenous vein wall strain after coronary artery bypass grafting
Abstract
Saphenous vein graft disease is a timely problem in coronary artery bypass grafting. Indeed, after exposure of the vein to arterial blood flow, a progressive modification in the wall begins, due to proliferation of smooth muscle cells in the intima. As a consequence, the graft progressively occludes and this leads to recurrent ischemia. In the present study we employed a novel ex vivo culture system to assess the biological effects of arterial-like pressure on the human saphenous vein structure and physiology, and to compare the results to those achieved in the presence of a constant low pressure and flow mimicking the physiologic vein perfusion. While under both conditions we found an activation of Matrix Metallo-Proteases 2/9 and of microRNAs-21/146a/221, a specific effect of the arterial-like pressure was observed. This consisted in a marked geometrical remodeling, in the suppression of Tissue Inhibitor of Metallo-Protease-1, in the enhanced expression of TGF-\u3b21 and BMP-2 mRNAs and, finally, in the upregulation of microRNAs-138/200b/200c. In addition, the veins exposed to arterial-like pressure showed an increase in the density of the adventitial vasa vasorum and of cells co-expressing NG2, CD44 and SM22\u3b1 markers in the adventitia. Cells with nuclear expression of Sox-10, a transcription factor characterizing multipotent vascular stem cells, were finally found in adventitial vessels. Our findings suggest, for the first time, a role of arterial-like wall strain in the activation of pro-pathologic pathways resulting in adventitial vessels growth, activation of vasa vasorum cells, and upregulation of specific gene products associated to vascular remodeling and inflammation
Versican is differentially regulated in the adventitial and medial layers of human vein grafts.
Changes in extracellular matrix proteins may contribute significantly to the adaptation of vein grafts to the arterial circulation. We examined the production and distribution of versican and hyaluronan in intact human vein rings cultured ex vivo, veins perfused ex vivo, and cultured venous adventitial and smooth muscle cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed higher levels of versican in the intima/media compared to the adventitia, and no differences in hyaluronan. In the vasa vasorum, versican and hyaluronan associated with CD34+ progenitor cells. Culturing the vein rings for 14 days revealed increased versican immunostaining of 30-40% in all layers, with no changes in hyaluronan. Changes in versican accumulation appear to result from increased synthesis in the intima/media and decreased degradation in the adventitia as versican transcripts were increased in the intima/media, but unchanged in the adventitia, and versikine (the ADAMTS-mediated cleavage product of versican) was increased in the intima/media, but decreased in the adventitia. In perfused human veins, versican was specifically increased in the intima/media in the presence of venous pressure, but not with arterial pressure. Unexpectedly, cultured adventitial cells express and accumulate more versican and hyaluronan than smooth muscle cells. These data demonstrate a differential regulation of versican and hyaluronan in human venous adventitia vs. intima/media and suggest distinct functions for these extracellular matrix macromolecules in these venous wall compartments during the adaptive response of vein grafts to the arterial circulation
Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset
corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected
during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV.
The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the
couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and
right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary
mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b,
leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing
transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W'
boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to
the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for
masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC
data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed
coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant
improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe
Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV
A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The
analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC
from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an
integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross
section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected
exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the
standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The
analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model
Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The
largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is
observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance
of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local
significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is
estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of
this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
Measurement of the Lambda(b) cross section and the anti-Lambda(b) to Lambda(b) ratio with Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda decays in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
The Lambda(b) differential production cross section and the cross section
ratio anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) are measured as functions of transverse momentum
pt(Lambda(b)) and rapidity abs(y(Lambda(b))) in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7
TeV using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are
based on Lambda(b) decays reconstructed in the exclusive final state J/Psi
Lambda, with the subsequent decays J/Psi to an opposite-sign muon pair and
Lambda to proton pion, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated
luminosity of 1.9 inverse femtobarns. The product of the cross section times
the branching ratio for Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda versus pt(Lambda(b)) falls
faster than that of b mesons. The measured value of the cross section times the
branching ratio for pt(Lambda(b)) > 10 GeV and abs(y(Lambda(b))) < 2.0 is 1.06
+/- 0.06 +/- 0.12 nb, and the integrated cross section ratio for
anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) is 1.02 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.09, where the uncertainties are
statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters
Search for new physics in events with opposite-sign leptons, jets, and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model (BSM) in final
states with a pair of opposite-sign isolated leptons accompanied by jets and
missing transverse energy. The search uses LHC data recorded at a
center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS detector, corresponding to
an integrated luminosity of approximately 5 inverse femtobarns. Two
complementary search strategies are employed. The first probes models with a
specific dilepton production mechanism that leads to a characteristic kinematic
edge in the dilepton mass distribution. The second strategy probes models of
dilepton production with heavy, colored objects that decay to final states
including invisible particles, leading to very large hadronic activity and
missing transverse energy. No evidence for an event yield in excess of the
standard model expectations is found. Upper limits on the BSM contributions to
the signal regions are deduced from the results, which are used to exclude a
region of the parameter space of the constrained minimal supersymmetric
extension of the standard model. Additional information related to detector
efficiencies and response is provided to allow testing specific models of BSM
physics not considered in this paper.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
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