Immune mechanisms in vulvodynia: key roles for mast cells and fibroblasts

Vulvodynia is a debilitating condition characterized by painful sensitivity to touch and pressure in the vestibular tissue surrounding the vaginal opening. It is often a “diagnosis of exclusion” of idiopathic pain made in the absence of visible inflammation or injury. However, the association between increased vulvodynia risk and a history of yeast infections and skin allergies has led researchers to explore whether immune mechanisms of dysregulated inflammation might underlie the pathophysiology of this chronic pain condition. Here we synthesize epidemiological investigations, clinical biopsies and primary cell culture studies, and mechanistic insights from several pre-clinical models of vulvar pain. Taken together, these findings suggest that altered inflammatory responses of tissue fibroblasts, and other immune changes in the genital tissues, potentially driven by the accumulation of mast cells may be key to the development of chronic vulvar pain. The association of increased numbers and function of mast cells with a wide variety of chronic pain conditions lends credence to their involvement in vulvodynia pathology and underscores their potential as an immune biomarker for chronic pain. Alongside mast cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and numerous inflammatory cytokines and mediators are associated with chronic pain suggesting immune-targeted approaches including the therapeutic administration of endogenous anti-inflammatory compounds could provide much needed new ways to treat, manage, and control the growing global pandemic of chronic pain

Common Fixed Point Results on Generalized Weak Compatible Mapping in Quasi-Partial b-Metric Space

[EN] The focus of this paper is to acquaint with generalized condition (B) in a quasi-partial b-metric space and to establish coincidence and common fixed point theorems for weakly compatible pairs of mapping. Additionally, with the background of quasi-partial b-metric space, the outcomes obtained are exemplified to prove the existence and uniqueness of fixed point.Gautam, P.; Sánchez Ruiz, LM.; Verma, S.; Gupta, G. (2021). Common Fixed Point Results on Generalized Weak Compatible Mapping in Quasi-Partial b-Metric Space. Journal of Mathematics. 2021:1-10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5526801S110202

Advanced nanostructured medical device combining mesenchymal cells and VEGF nanoparticles for enhanced engineered tissue vascularization.

AIM: Success of functional vascularized tissue repair depends on vascular support system supply and still remains challenging. Our objective was to develop a nanoactive implant enhancing endothelial cell activity, particularly for bone tissue engineering in the regenerative medicine field. MATERIALS & METHODS: We developed a new strategy of tridimensional implant based on cell-dependent sustained release of VEGF nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed within nanoreservoirs onto the porous scaffold, with quicker reorganization of endothelial cells. Moreover, the activity of this active smart implant on cells was also modulated by addition of osteoblastic cells. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: This sophisticated active strategy should potentiate efficiency of current therapeutic implants for bone repair, avoiding the need for bone substitutes

Bone regeneration: current concepts and future directions

Bone regeneration is a complex, well-orchestrated physiological process of bone formation, which can be seen during normal fracture healing, and is involved in continuous remodelling throughout adult life. However, there are complex clinical conditions in which bone regeneration is required in large quantity, such as for skeletal reconstruction of large bone defects created by trauma, infection, tumour resection and skeletal abnormalities, or cases in which the regenerative process is compromised, including avascular necrosis, atrophic non-unions and osteoporosis. Currently, there is a plethora of different strategies to augment the impaired or 'insufficient' bone-regeneration process, including the 'gold standard' autologous bone graft, free fibula vascularised graft, allograft implantation, and use of growth factors, osteoconductive scaffolds, osteoprogenitor cells and distraction osteogenesis. Improved 'local' strategies in terms of tissue engineering and gene therapy, or even 'systemic' enhancement of bone repair, are under intense investigation, in an effort to overcome the limitations of the current methods, to produce bone-graft substitutes with biomechanical properties that are as identical to normal bone as possible, to accelerate the overall regeneration process, or even to address systemic conditions, such as skeletal disorders and osteoporosis

Pseudo-heterodyne signal processing scheme for interrogation of fiber Bragg grating sensor arrays

An intensity-based interrogation technique for arrays of fiber bragg grating (FBG) sensors is reported. The technique is based upon each FBG forming one mirror of a Michelson interferometer. Source wavelength modulation is combined with an unbalanced interferometer to produce a carrier signal. Carrier frequencies are characteristic of the optical path length imbalance and hence grating position within the array. The intensity of the carrier signal is directly related to the optical power reflected from the grating and hence the strain applied to the grating. Strain resolution of ∼3μm/m is demonstrated with an ∼350μm/m sensor range. Multiplexing is demonstrated and techniques to extend the range are dis

Surface wash: the dominant geomorphic process in the surviving rainforest of Singapore

Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography10295-10