Effects of heat stress on performance, physiological parameters, and blood profiles of early-fattening Hanwoo steers in climate chambers

Objective This study was conducted to assess effects of heat stress on growth performance, physiological parameters, and blood profiles of Hanwoo steers during early-fattening period in climate chambers. Methods Four Hanwoo steers (body weight, 454.3±10.9 kg; age, 14±0.1 month) were allocated into four levels of temperature-humidity index (THI) in a 4×4 Latin square design for 21 days (pre-adaptation, 7 d; heat stress, 7 d; post-adaptation, 7 d) per period. Experimental treatments were assigned according to THI chart based on National Institute Animal Science (NIAS, 2022): Comfort (25.5°C to 26.5°C, 60%; THI 73 to 75), Mild (28°C to 29°C, 60%; THI 77 to 79), Moderate (29.5°C to 30.5°C, 80%; THI 82 to 84), and Severe (31°C to 32°C, 80%; THI 85 to 86) in separate climatic controlled chambers. Results The dry matter intake (DMI) of the formula feed was lower in Severe compared to Mild and Comfort (p<0.05). The DMI of rice straw was the lowest in Severe and lower in Moderate than Comfort and Mild (p<0.05). Both average daily gain and feed conversion ratio of Severe and Moderate were lower than those of Mild and Comfort (p<0.05). Water intake was the highest in Severe and lower in Moderate compared with Comfort and Mild (p<0.05). Heart rate and rectal temperature increased as THI level increased (p<0.05). Glucose was the lowest in Severe and lower in Moderate compared to Comfort (p<0.05). On the contrary, non-esterified fatty acid was the highest in Severe and lower in Moderate compared with Comfort (p<0.05). Blood urea nitrogen of Moderate and Severe were higher than those of Comfort and Mild (p<0.05). Cortisol increased as THI increased (p<0.05). Conclusion This study demonstrated the negative effects of heat stress on the performance and physiological responses of Hanwoo steers during the early-fattening period. In addition, it is judged that the THI chart for Hanwoo steers of National Institute of Animal Science (2022) was properly calculated

Collagen Immobilization on Ultra-thin Nanofiber Membrane to Promote In Vitro Endothelial Monolayer Formation

The endothelialization on the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber has been limited due to its low hydrophilicity. The aim of this study was to immobilize collagen on an ultra-thin poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber membrane without altering the nanofiber structure and maintaining the endothelial cell homeostasis on it. We immobilized collagen on the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber using hydrolysis by NaOH treatment and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/sulfo-N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide reaction as a cost-effective and stable approach. NaOH was first applied to render the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber hydrophilic. Subsequently, collagen was immobilized on the surface of the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibers using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/sulfo-N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy were used to verify stable collagen immobilization on the surface of the poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibers and the maintenance of the original structure of poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibers. Furthermore, human endothelial cells were cultured on the collagen-immobilized poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber membrane and expressed tight junction proteins with the increase in transendothelial electrical resistance, which demonstrated the maintenance of the endothelial cell homeostasis on the collagen-immobilized-poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber membrane. Thus, we expected that this process would be promising for maintaining cell homeostasis on the ultra-thin poly (epsilon-caprolactone) nanofiber scaffolds.11Ysciescopu

Effect of rhBMP-2 applied with a 3D-printed titanium implant on new bone formation in rabbit calvarium

Objective: This study sought to compare the biocompatibility of a three-dimensional (3D)-printed titanium implant with a conventional machined titanium product, as well as the effect of such implant applied with recombinant human Bone Morphogenetic Protein Type 2 (rhBMP-2) for guided bone regeneration.&nbsp;Methodology: Disk-shaped titanium specimens fabricated either by the conventional machining technique or by the 3D-printing technique were compared by MC3T3-E1 cells cytotoxicity assay. New bone formation was evaluated using a rapid prototype titanium cap applied to the calvaria of 10 rabbits, which were divided into two groups: one including an atelopeptide collagen plug on one side of the cap (group I) and the other including a plug with rhBMP-2 on the other side (group II). At six and 12 weeks after euthanasia, rabbits calvaria underwent morphometric analysis through radiological and histological examination.&nbsp;Results: Through the cytotoxicity assay, we identified a significantly higher number of MC3T3-E1 cells in the 3D-printed specimen when compared to the machined specimen after 48 hours of culture. Moreover, morphometric analysis indicated significantly greater bone formation at week 12 on the side where rhBMP-2 was applied when evaluating the upper portion immediately below the ca p. Conclusion: The results suggest that 3D-printed titanium implant applied with rhBMP-2 enables new bone formation

In-stent restenosis-prone coronary plaque composition: A retrospective virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound study

  Background: The mechanism of in-stent restenosis (ISR) is multifactorial, which includes biological, mechanical and technical factors. This study hypothesized that increased inflammatory reaction, which is known to be an important atherosclerotic process, at a culprit lesion may lead to higher restenosis rates. Methods: The study population consisted of 241 patients who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention with virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) and a 9-month follow-up coronary angiography. Compared herein is the coronary plaque composition between patients with ISR and those without ISR. Results: Patients with ISR (n = 27) were likely to be older (66.2 ± 9.5 years vs. 58.7 ± 11.7 years, p = 0.002) and have higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP, 1.60 ± 3.59 mg/dL vs. 0.31 ± 0.76 mg/dL, p &lt; 0.001) than those without ISR (n = 214). VH-IVUS examination showed that percent necrotic core volume (14.3 ± 8.7% vs. 19.5 ± 9.1%, p = 0.005) was higher in those without ISR than those with ISR. Multivariate analysis revealed that hs-CRP (odds ratio [OR] 3.334, 95% con­fidence interval [CI] 1.158–9.596, p = 0.026) and age (OR 3.557, 95% CI 1.242–10.192, p = 0.018) were associated with ISR. Conclusions: This study suggests that ISR is not associated with baseline coronary plaque composition but is associated with old age and increased expression of the inflammatory marker of hs-CRP. (Cardiol J 2018; 25, 1: 7–13

Gallbladder Pseudodiverticulosis Mimicking a Multiseptate Gallbladder with Stones

Gallbladder diverticula have the appearance of hernia-like protrusions of the gallbladder wall. This disorder may not be diagnosed until surgically resected because it has no clinical significance unless there are associated diseases. Gallbladder pseudodiverticula have an acquired cause, multiple fundal lesions, an association with gallstones, internal saccular lesions without external hernia-like protrusions, and little to no smooth muscle in the gallbladder wall. We report a unique anomaly of multiple pseudodiverticula presenting with calculous cholecystitis, which was pathologically different from true diverticula and had a unique shape similar to a bunch of grapes and a septation infilling pattern on endoscopic retrograde cholangiography

Preclinical Analysis of Irreversible Electroporation on Rat Liver Tissues Using a Microfabricated Electroporator

A microfabricated electroporator (MFE) for the irreversible electroporation (IRE) of tissues has been developed by miniaturizing a clinical electroporator with a two-needle array while keeping the same electric field strength distribution. Since IRE was brought to special attention as one of the local tissue ablation techniques to treat tumors, many preclinical studies have been conducted to investigate the efficacy of IRE on animal tissues. However, some technical difficulties have been frequently encountered due to the macroscale dimension of clinical electroporators, particularly in experiments on small animal models such as the mouse or rat. Here, the MFE was proposed to solve the associated problems, resulting in time-and cost-effective experimental procedures. With the developed MFE, the effect of IRE on rat liver tissues was analyzed with time by immunohistological stainings and electrical measurement, and the experimental results were compared with those operated with the corresponding real-scale clinical electroporator.Choi YS, 2009, ANAL CHEM, V81, P3517, DOI 10.1021/ac900055rMaor E, 2009, PLOS ONE, V4, DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0004757Pavlin M, 2008, BIOELECTROCHEMISTRY, V74, P38, DOI 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2008.04.016Sersa G, 2008, EJSO-EUR J SURG ONC, V34, P232, DOI 10.1016/j.ejso.2007.05.016Rubinsky B, 2007, TECHNOL CANCER RES T, V6, P255Onik G, 2007, TECHNOL CANCER RES T, V6, P295Al-Sakere B, 2007, TECHNOL CANCER RES T, V6, P301Maor E, 2007, TECHNOL CANCER RES T, V6, P307Garon EB, 2007, INT J CANCER, V121, P675, DOI 10.1002/ijc.22723Esser AT, 2007, TECHNOL CANCER RES T, V6, P261Lee EW, 2007, TECHNOL CANCER RES T, V6, P287Kimelman N, 2007, TISSUE ENG, V13, P1135, DOI 10.1089/ten.2007.0096Lavee J, 2007, HEART SURG FORUM, V10, pE162, DOI 10.1532/HSF98.20061202Rubinsky B, 2007, TECHNOL CANCER RES T, V6, P37Liu L, 2006, CANCER RES, V66, P11851, DOI 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-06-1377Marty M, 2006, EJC SUPPL, V4, P3, DOI 10.1016/j.ejcsup.2006.08.002Sersa G, 2006, EJC SUPPL, V4, P52, DOI 10.1016/j.ejcsup.2006.08.007Edd JF, 2006, IEEE T BIO-MED ENG, V53, P1409, DOI [10.1109/TBME.2006.873745, 10.1109/TMBE.2006.873745]Miller L, 2005, TECHNOL CANCER RES T, V4, P699Sel D, 2005, IEEE T BIO-MED ENG, V52, P816, DOI 10.1109/TBME.2005.845212Davalos RV, 2005, ANN BIOMED ENG, V33, P223, DOI 10.1007/s10439-005-8981-8Pliquett U, 2004, BIOELECTROCHEMISTRY, V62, P83, DOI 10.1016/j.biolechem.2003.11.001Davalos RV, 2003, BIOELECTROCHEMISTRY, V61, P99, DOI 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2003.07.001Weaver JC, 2003, IEEE T DIELECT EL IN, V10, P754, DOI 10.1109/TDEI.2003.1237325Gothelf A, 2003, CANCER TREAT REV, V29, P371, DOI 10.1016/S0305-7372(03)00073-2Gehl J, 2003, ACTA PHYSIOL SCAND, V177, P437Leu JI, 2003, J CLIN INVEST, V111, P129, DOI 10.1172/JCI200316712Deng ZS, 2001, PHYSICA A, V300, P521Ryttsen F, 2000, BIOPHYS J, V79, P1993Dev SB, 2000, IEEE T PLASMA SCI, V28, P206, DOI 10.1109/27.842905Duffy DC, 1998, ANAL CHEM, V70, P4974Boone K, 1997, J MED ENG TECHNOL, V21, P201Weaver JC, 1996, BIOELECTROCH BIOENER, V41, P135*I LAB AN RES NAT, 1996, GUID CAR US LAB ANABIDOR IG, 1993, BIOCHIM BIOPHYS ACTA, V1152, P207DILLER KR, 1992, MODELING BIOHEAT TRAMIR LM, 1991, CR ACAD SCI III-VIE, V313, P613DUCK FA, 1990, PHYS PROPERTIES ISSUKINOSITA K, 1979, BIOCHIM BIOPHYS ACTA, V554, P479PENNES HH, 1948, J APPL PHYSIOL, V1, P93

Deep learning for prediction of mechanism in acute ischemic stroke using brain diffusion magnetic resonance image

Background Acute ischemic stroke is a disease with multiple etiologies. Therefore, identifying the mechanism of acute ischemic stroke is fundamental to its treatment and secondary prevention. The Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment classification is currently the most widely used system, but it often has a limitations of classifying unknown causes and inadequate inter-rater reliability. Therefore, we attempted to develop a three-dimensional (3D)-convolutional neural network (CNN)-based algorithm for stroke lesion segmentation and subtype classification using only the diffusion and apparent diffusion coefficient information of patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods This study included 2,251 patients with acute ischemic stroke who visited our hospital between February 2013 and July 2019. Results The segmentation model for lesion segmentation in the training set achieved a Dice score of 0.843±0.009. The subtype classification model achieved an average accuracy of 81.9%, with accuracies of 81.6% for large artery atherosclerosis, 86.8% for cardioembolism, 72.9% for small vessel occlusion, and 86.3% for control. Conclusion We developed a model to predict the mechanism of cerebral infarction using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, which has great potential for identifying diffusion lesion segmentation and stroke subtype classification. As deep learning systems are gradually developing, they are becoming useful in clinical practice and applications

Two Cases of Giant Epidermal Cyst Occurring in the Neck

Epidermal cysts are the most common cysts of the skin. Aconventional epidermal cyst rarely reaches a size of more than 5 cm in diameter. We report on two cases of giant epidermal cyst occurring in the neck. One patient had a cyst measuring 12×9×9 cm and the other patient had a non-pulsatile, dome-shaped lesion in the neck, which measured 6×5×3 cm. The lesions were totally excised. Histopathologically, both were confirmed as giant epidermal cysts