Investigating a time course of ischemic stroke-induced heart injury in the left coronary artery

Besides cell death and loss of function in the brain, ischemic stroke is often associated with poor cardiac outcomes, increasing the risk for atrial fibrillation and myocardial infarction. This condition, known as stroke-induced heart injury (SIHI), has been well characterized for the four chambers of the heart and myocardial tissue, but the timeline and extent of injury in the coronary arteries remain unclear. To study the timeline of ischemic SIHI in the left coronary artery (LCA), we documented how the thickness, cross-sectional area, and immune cell recruitment in the LCA changed following an insular ischemic stroke in a rat model. Rats were divided into a stroke (endothelin-1 injection) and control (phosphate-buffered saline injection) group and sacrificed at various time-points post-treatment (6h, 24h, 7d, 14d, & 28d). Following a standard H&E staining protocol, we observed a general thickening and constriction in the vessel until 7 days post-stroke, corresponding to eutrophic remodelling. After immunohistochemistry staining for pan-leukocytes (CD45), neutrophils (myeloperoxidase), and B lymphocytes (CD45R), we observed a maximal recruitment of innate and adaptive immune cells occur concurrently at 24 hours post-stroke, indicating possible immunological memory in inflammation from stroke. These results extend our understanding of stroke-induced heart injury to vascular changes in the heart and lay the groundwork in addressing the relevant clinical problem of cardiac complications after stroke

Novel Mannan-PEG-PE Modified Bioadhesive PLGA Nanoparticles for Targeted Gene Delivery

Purpose. Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles have been used frequently as gene delivery vehicles. The aim of this study is to modify bioadhesive PLGA nanoparticles with novel synthetic mannan-PEG-PE (MN-PEG-PE) to obtain active targeted gene delivery system. Methods. Mannan-PEG-PE ligands were synthesized and modified onto the NPs/pEGFP complexes. The modification rate was optimized, and the characteristics of the vehicle were evaluated. Then, the modified vectors were intravenous delivered to rats, and in vivo targeting behavior of MN-PEG-PE modified PLGA nanoparticles/pEGFP complexes (MN-PEG-PE-NPs/pEGFP) in liver macrophages was investigated. Results. MN-PEG-PE-NPs/pEGFP displayed remarkably higher transfection efficiencies than nonmodified NPs/pEGFP both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions. Mannan containing targeting ligands could significantly improve the transfection efficiency of the carriers. MN-PEG-PE modified vectors very useful in targeted gene delivery

Birman-Wenzl-Murakami Algebra and the Topological Basis

In this paper, we use entangled states to construct 9x9-matrix representations of Temperley-Lieb algebra (TLA), then a family of 9x9-matrix representations of Birman-Wenzl-Murakami algebra (BWMA) have been presented. Based on which, three topological basis states have been found. And we apply topological basis states to recast nine-dimensional BWMA into its three-dimensional counterpart. Finally, we find the topological basis states are spin singlet states in special case.Comment: 11pages, 1 figur