Glycocalyx production and adherence of Staphylococcus to biomaterials.

&#60;P&#62;Glycocalyx is suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of biomaterial-centered infection. Using an accurate and sensitive method to quantify glycocalyx and bacterial adherence, we have demonstrated that the producer of the most glycocalyx also exhibited the highest adherence index, whereas low producers exhibited the least (p less than 0.01). Additionally, at various concentrations the high producer had the greater tendency to adhere and grow on stainless steel wires and tubes (p less than 0.001). The adherence index, referred as the ratio of tritiated thymidine uptake on wires to colony forming units (CFU), was also the highest in high producers. The adherence index increased as the glycocalyx index increased. It was suggested that glycocalyx production enhanced the adherence of Staphylococcus epidermidis to biomaterials and caused persistent and intractable infections. In short, the glycocalyx index and the adherence index can be reliable indices of biomaterial-centered infection.</p

Intra-articular injections of sodium hyaluronate (Hyalgan®) in osteoarthritis of the knee. a randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial in the asian population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The efficacy and tolerability of 500-730 kDa sodium hyaluronate (Hyalgan^®) for treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) pain has been established in clinical trials, but few data are available in the Asian population. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of this preparation in a Taiwanese population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two hundred patients with mild to moderate OA of the knee were randomized to receive five weekly intra-articular injections of sodium hyaluronate or placebo. The primary efficacy outcome was the change from baseline to Week 25 in patients' evaluation of pain using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) during the 50-foot walking test. Additional outcomes included Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) scores, time on the 50-foot walking test, patient's and investigator's subjective assessment of effectiveness, acetaminophen consumption, and the amounts of synovial fluid.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The Hyalgan^®treatment group showed a significantly greater improvement from baseline to Week 25 in VAS pain on the 50-foot walking test than the placebo group (p = 0.0020). The Hyalgan^®group revealed significant improvements from baseline to week 25 in WOMAC pain and function score than the placebo group (p = 0.005 and 0.0038, respectively) Other outcomes, such as time on the 50-foot walking test and subjective assessment of effectiveness, did not show any significant difference between groups. Both groups were safe and well tolerated.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study suggests that five weekly intra-articular injections of sodium hyaluronate are well tolerated, can provide sustained relief of pain, and can improve function in Asian patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.</p> <p>Level of Evidence</p> <p>Therapeutic study, Level I-1a (randomized controlled trial with a significant difference).</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01319461">NCT01319461</a></p

Novel CMOS RFIC Layout Generation with Concurrent Device Placement and Fixed-Length Microstrip Routing

With advancing process technologies and booming IoT markets, millimeter-wave CMOS RFICs have been widely developed in re- cent years. Since the performance of CMOS RFICs is very sensi- tive to the precision of the layout, precise placement of devices and precisely matched microstrip lengths to given values have been a labor-intensive and time-consuming task, and thus become a major bottleneck for time to market. This paper introduces a progressive integer-linear-programming-based method to gener- ate high-quality RFIC layouts satisfying very stringent routing requirements of microstrip lines, including spacing/non-crossing rules, precise length, and bend number minimization, within a given layout area. The resulting RFIC layouts excel in both per- formance and area with much fewer bends compared with the simulation-tuning based manual layout, while the layout gener- ation time is significantly reduced from weeks to half an hour.Comment: ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conference (DAC), 201

A Study of the Wound Healing Mechanism of a Traditional Chinese Medicine, Angelica sinensis, Using a Proteomic Approach

Angelica sinensis (AS) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been formulated clinically to treat various form of skin trauma and to help wound healing. However, the mechanism by which it works remains a mystery. In this study we have established a new platform to evaluate the pharmacological effects of total AS herbal extracts as well as its major active component, ferulic acid (FA), using proteomic and biochemical analysis. Cytotoxic and proliferation-promoting concentrations of AS ethanol extracts (AS extract) and FA were tested, and then the cell extracts were subject to 2D PAGE analysis. We found 51 differentially expressed protein spots, and these were identified by mass spectrometry. Furthermore, biomolecular assays, involving collagen secretion, migration, and ROS measurements, gave results that are consistent with the proteomic analysis. In this work, we have demonstrated a whole range of pharmacological effects associated with Angelica sinensis that might be beneficial when developing a wound healing pharmaceutical formulation for the herbal medicine

Hyperbaric oxygen upregulates cochlear constitutive nitric oxide synthase

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a known adjuvant for treating ischemia-related inner ear diseases. Controversies still exist in the role of HBOT in cochlear diseases. Few studies to date have investigated the cellular changes that occur in inner ears after HBOT. Nitric oxide, which is synthesized by nitric oxide synthase (NOS), is an important signaling molecule in cochlear physiology and pathology. Here we investigated the effects of hyperbaric oxygen on eardrum morphology, cochlear function and expression of NOS isoforms in cochlear substructures after repetitive HBOT in guinea pigs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Minor changes in the eardrum were observed after repetitive HBOT, which did not result in a significant hearing threshold shift by tone burst auditory brainstem responses. A differential effect of HBOT on the expression of NOS isoforms was identified. Upregulation of constitutive NOS (nNOS and eNOS) was found in the substructures of the cochlea after HBOT, but inducible NOS was not found in normal or HBOT animals, as shown by immunohistochemistry. There was no obvious DNA fragmentation present in this HBOT animal model.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present evidence indicates that the customary HBOT protocol may increase constitutive NOS expression but such upregulation did not cause cell death in the treated cochlea. The cochlear morphology and auditory function are consequently not changed through the protocol.</p

A novel mutation in the WFS1 gene identified in a Taiwanese family with low-frequency hearing impairment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Wolfram syndrome gene 1 (<it>WFS1</it>) accounts for most of the familial nonsyndromic low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss (LFSNHL) which is characterized by sensorineural hearing losses equal to and below 2000 Hz. The current study aimed to contribute to our understanding of the molecular basis of LFSNHL in an affected Taiwanese family.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The Taiwanese family with LFSNHL was phenotypically characterized using audiologic examination and pedigree analysis. Genetic characterization was performed by direct sequencing of <it>WFS1 </it>and mutation analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Pure tone audiometry confirmed that the family members affected with LFSNHL had a bilateral sensorineural hearing loss equal to or below 2000 Hz. The hearing loss threshold of the affected members showed no progression, a characteristic that was consistent with a mutation in the <it>WFS1 </it>gene located in the DFNA6/14/38 locus. Pedigree analysis showed a hereditarily autosomal dominant pattern characterized by a full penetrance. Among several polymorphisms, a missense mutation Y669H (2005T>C) in exon 8 of <it>WFS1 </it>was identified in members of a Taiwanese family diagnosed with LFSNHL but not in any of the control subjects.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We discovered a novel heterozygous missense mutation in exon 8 of <it>WFS1 </it>(i.e., Y669H) which is likely responsible for the LFSNHL phenotype in this particular Taiwanese family.</p

Slow conduction and gap junction remodeling in murine ventricle after chronic alcohol ingestion

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Long-term heavy alcohol drinkers are prone to the development of cardiac arrhythmia. To understand the mechanisms, we evaluated the cardiac structural and electrophysiological changes in mice chronically drinking excessive alcohol.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Male C57BL/6J mice were given 36% alcohol in the drinking water. Those given blank water were used as control. Twelve weeks later, the phenotypic characteristics of the heart, including gap junctions and electrical properties were examined. In the alcohol group the ventricles contained a smaller size of cardiomyocytes and a higher density of capillary networks, compared to the control. Western blots showed that, after drinking alcohol, the content of connexin43 (Cx43) protein in the left ventricle was increased by 18% (p < 0.05). Consistently, immunoconfocal microscopy demonstrated that Cx43 gap junctions were up-regulated in the alcohol group with a disorganized distribution, compared to the control. Optical mapping showed that the alcohol group had a reduced conduction velocity (40 ± 18 vs 60 ± 7 cm/sec, p < 0.05) and a higher incidence of ventricular tachyarrhythmia (62% vs 30%, p < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Long-term excessive alcohol intake resulted in extensive cardiac remodeling, including changes in expression and distribution of gap junctions, growth of capillary network, reduction of cardiomyocyte size, and decrease of myocardial conduction.</p

A lack of association between genetic polymorphisms in beta-defensins and susceptibility of psoriasis in Taiwanese: A case–control study

AbstractBackgroundGenetic predisposition of the inflammatory-host response may affect the development of psoriasis. Previous studies have shown that copy number variations (CNVs) of β-defensin genes (DEFB) are associated with the susceptibility of psoriasis in Caucasian populations.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the role of the CNVs of the DEFB4 gene and functional variants in the DEFB1 gene in Taiwanese patients with psoriasis.MethodsIn total, 196 patients with psoriasis and 196 control individuals were analyzed for the presence of the DEFB4 CNVs using the paralogue ratio test, and also for the DEFB1 polymorphisms rs11362, rs1800972, and rs1799946, using a polymerase chain reaction.ResultsNone of the polymorphisms were found to be associated with psoriasis. The distribution of DEFB4 genomic CNVs did not significantly differ between the control group and psoriasis group. The frequencies of patients who carried a greater than the median (≥ 5) number of copies did not significantly differ in patients with psoriasis and controls. The multivariate analysis similarly revealed that the DEFB4 CNVs were not associated with psoriasis (odds ratio = 1.03, 95% confidence interval = 0.89–1.19, p = 0.720). No significant difference was detected in the genotype and allele distribution for any of the individual DEFB1 polymorphisms between the cases and the controls. Finally, the overall haplotype frequency profiles derived from the three polymorphisms did not significantly differ between the cases and the controls.ConclusionOur results do not suggest that these genetic variants of the β-defensin genes contribute to the genetic background of psoriasis in Taiwanese patients

Utilized mass spectrometry-based protein profiling system to identify potential biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma

AbstractHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common malignant liver tumor. The purpose of this study is to characterize proteins secreted from the HepG2 cells, which may relate to cell differentiation and tumor metastasis. In the proteomic analysis, the secretome was identified by nano-high–performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (nano-HPLC/ESIMS/MS) followed by peptide fragmentation pattern analysis. In this study, three proteins, p130Cas-associated protein (p130Cas/BCAR1), TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP43/TARDBP) and translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP/TPT1), were identified and confirmed by Western blotting, which showed significantly differential expression compared with the normal liver cells. Analyzing differential protein expressions in HepG2 cell by proteomic approaches suggests that p130Cas/BCAR1, TDP43/TARDBP and TCTP/TPT1 as key proteins and may serve as biomarkers for HCC