Simple Precision Creation of Digitally Specified, Spatially Heterogeneous, Engineered Tissue Architectures

Complex architectures of integrated circuits are achieved through multiple layer photolithography, which has empowered the semiconductor industry. We adapt this philosophy for tissue engineering with a versatile, scalable, and generalizable microfabrication approach to create engineered tissue architectures composed of digitally specifiable building blocks, each with tuned structural, cellular, and compositional features.Paul G. Allen Family FoundationNew York Stem Cell FoundationNational Institutes of Health (U.S.)National Science Foundation (U.S.)Lincoln LaboratoryInstitution of Engineering and Technology (AF Harvey Prize

Aberrant Ca2+ homeostasis in adipocytes links inflammation to metabolic dysregulation in obesity [preprint]

Chronic metabolic inflammation is a key feature of obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, although the initiation and propagation mechanisms of metaflammation are not fully established, particularly in the adipose tissue. Here we show that in adipocytes, altered regulation of the Ca2+ channel inositol triphosphate receptor (IP3Rs) is a key, adipocyte-intrinsic, event involved in the emergence and propagation of inflammatory signaling and the resulting insulin resistance. Inflammation, either induced by cytokine exposure in vitro or by obesity in vivo lead to increased expression and activity of IP3Rs in adipocytes in a JNK-dependent manner. This results in increased cytosolic Ca2+ and impaired insulin action. In mice, adipocyte-specific loss of IP3R1/2 protected against adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance despite significant diet-induced weight gain. Thus, this work reveals that IP3R over-activation and the resulting increase in cytosolic Ca2+ is a key link between obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance, and suggests that approaches to target adipocyte Ca2+ homeostasis may offer new therapeutic opportunities against metabolic diseases, especially since GWAS studies also implicate this locus in human obesity

Serum level of vitamin D and trace elements in children with recurrent wheezing: a cross-sectional study

Background: We aimed to show the relationship between recurrence of wheezing and serum levels of vitamin D, zinc, and copper in wheezy children compared with a healthy group