SARS-CoV-2 infection of the pancreas promotes thrombofibrosis and is associated with new-onset diabetes

Evidence suggests an association between severe acute respiratory syndrome-cornavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the occurrence of new-onset diabetes. We examined pancreatic expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), the cell entry factors for SARS-CoV-2, using publicly available single-cell RNA sequencing data sets, and pancreatic tissue from control male and female nonhuman primates (NHPs) and humans. We also examined SARS-CoV-2 immunolocalization in pancreatic cells of SARS-CoV-2-infected NHPs and patients who had died from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We report expression of ACE2 in pancreatic islet, ductal, and endothelial cells in NHPs and humans. In pancreata from SARS-CoV-2-infected NHPs and COVID-19 patients, SARS-CoV-2 infected ductal, endothelial, and islet cells. These pancreata also exhibited generalized fibrosis associated with multiple vascular thrombi. Two out of 8 NHPs developed new-onset diabetes following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Two out of 5 COVID-19 patients exhibited new-onset diabetes at admission. These results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection of the pancreas may promote acute and especially chronic pancreatic dysfunction that could potentially lead to new-onset diabetes

A regenerative microchannel device for recording multiple single-unit action potentials in awake, ambulatory animals

Despite significant advances in robotics, commercially advanced prosthetics provide only a small fraction of the functionality of the amputated limb that they are meant to replace. Peripheral nerve interfacing could provide a rich controlling link between the body and these advanced prosthetics in order to increase their overall utility. Here, we report on the development of a fully integrated regenerative microchannel interface with 30 microelectrodes and signal extraction capabilities enabling evaluation in an awake and ambulatory rat animal model. In vitro functional testing validated the capability of the microelectrodes to record neural signals similar in size and nature to those that occur invivo. In vitro dorsal root ganglia cultures revealed striking cytocompatibility of the microchannel interface. Finally, invivo, the microchannel interface was successfully used to record a multitude of single-unit action potentials through 63% of the integrated microelectrodes at the early time point of 3weeks. This marks a significant advance in microchannel interfacing, demonstrating the capability of microchannels to be used for peripheral nerve interfacing

Incinerate

Presented on March 16, 2011 at 4:30 pm in the LeCraw Auditorium in the College of Management building.Students Who IMPACT: Ideas to SERVE (I2S) Finals and Awards Ceremony.Two teams OneTab and Incinerate tied for first runner-up in the Ideas to SERVE Competition. OneTab included Biomedical Engineering majors Benjamin Chism, Eric Gaupp, Joseph Kim, and Joshua Lee. (SUBJECTS: Cardiovascular disease & Portable electrocardiogram). Incinerate was presented by Mechanical Engineering major Christian Weil. (SUBJECTS: Modular waste incinerator & Waste reduction).Runtime: 51:45 minutes (Full Presentations)Runtime: 02:30 minutes (Teaser Trailer)Runtime: 05:38 minutes (OneTab-Incineratel)OneTab - A concept for an ECG device that will to work on electronic waste parts using a minimum amount of hazardous components. It will be able to transmit medical information from hospitals where energy and medical expertise is sparse to doctors in other locations who can interpret medical data and provide treatment advice.Incinerate - To address the need for safe and sustainable trash disposal in developing countries, Incinerate is developing a small modular incinerator to burn the trash safely in an environmentally viable way.Ideas to SERVE was sponsored by Gray Ghost Ventures, MaRC Sustainable Design & Manufacturing, Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, Georgia Tech College of Management, Tedd Munchak Chair in Entrepreneurship, and Georgia Tech’s Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship

Nanocarrier-Mediated Inhibition of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Attenuates Secondary Injury after Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to permanent motor and sensory deficits. Following the initial traumatic insult, secondary injury mechanisms characterized by persistent heightened inflammation are initiated and lead to continued and pervasive cell death and tissue damage. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as methylprednisolone (MP) used clinically have ambiguous benefits with debilitating side effects. Typically, these drugs are administered systemically at high doses, resulting in toxicity and paradoxically increased inflammation. Furthermore, these drugs have a small time window postinjury (few hours) during which they need to be infused to be effective. As an alternative to MP, we investigated the effect of a small molecule inhibitor (Chicago sky blue, CSB) of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) for treating SCI. The pleiotropic cytokine MIF is known to contribute to upregulation of several pro-inflammatory cytokines in various disease and injury states. <i>In vitro</i>, CSB administration alleviated endotoxin-mediated inflammation in primary microglia and macrophages. Nanocarriers such as liposomes can potentially alleviate systemic side effects of high-dose therapy by enabling site-specific drug delivery to the spinal cord. However, the therapeutic window of 100 nm scale nanoparticle localization to the spinal cord after contusion injury is not fully known. Thus, we first investigated the ability of nanocarriers of different sizes to localize to the injured spinal cord up to 2 weeks postinjury. Results from the study showed that nanocarriers as large as 200 nm in diameter could extravasate into the injured spinal cord up to 96 h postinjury. We then formulated nanocarriers (liposomes) encapsulating CSB and administered them intravenously 48 h postinjury, within the previously determined 96 h therapeutic window. <i>In vivo</i>, in this clinically relevant contusion injury model in rats, CSB administration led to preservation of vascular and white matter integrity, improved wound healing, and an increase in levels of arginase and other transcripts indicative of a resolution phase of wound healing. This study demonstrates the potential of MIF inhibition in SCI and the utility of nanocarrier-mediated drug delivery selectively to the injured cord