Haemorheology of dense suspension of red blood cells under oscillatory shear flow

We present a numerical analysis of the rheology of a suspension of red blood cells (RBCs) for different volume fractions in a wall-bounded, effectively inertialess, oscillatory shear flow. The RBCs are modeled as biconcave capsules, whose membrane is an isotropic and hyperelastic material following the Skalak constitutive law, and the suspension examined for a wide range of applied frequencies. The frequency-dependent viscoelasticity in the bulk suspension is quantified by the complex viscosity, defined by the amplitude of the particle shear stress and the phase difference between the stress and shear. Our numerical results show that deformations of RBCs wekaly depend on the shear frequency, and the normal stress differences, membrane tension and amplitude of the shear stress are reduced by the oscillations. The frequency-dependent complex viscosity is nevertheless consistent with the classical behavior of non-Newtonian fluids, where the real part of the complex viscosity $\eta^\prime$ decreases as the frequency increases, and the imaginary part $\eta^{\prime\prime}$ exhibit a maximum value at an intermediate frequency. Such local maximum frequency is the same in both dense and dilute conditions. The effect of the viscosity ratios between the cytoplasm and plasma, volume fractions of RBCs, and oscillatory amplitudes represented by a capillary number on the complex viscosity are also assessed

Promoter-Level Transcriptome Identifies Stemness Associated With Relatively High Proliferation in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Both pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN), a frequent precursor of pancreatic cancer, and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN), a less common precursor, undergo several phases of molecular conversions and finally develop into highly malignant solid tumors with negative effects on the quality of life. We approached this long-standing issue by examining the following PanIN/IPMN cell lines derived from mouse models of pancreatic cancer: Ptf1a-Cre; KrasG12D; p53f/+ and Ptf1a-Cre; KrasG12D; and Brg1f/f pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAs). The mRNA from these cells was subjected to a cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE) to map the transcription starting sites and quantify the expression of promoters across the genome. Two RNA samples extracted from three individual subcutaneous tumors generated by the transplantation of PanIN or IPMN cancer cell lines were used to generate libraries and Illumina Seq, with four RNA samples in total, to depict discrete transcriptional network between IPMN and PanIN. Moreover, in IPMN cells, the transcriptome tended to be enriched for suppressive and inhibitory biological processes. In contrast, the transcriptome of PanIN cells exhibited properties of stemness. Notably, the proliferation capacity of the latter cells in culture was only minimally constrained by well-known chemotherapy drugs such as GSK690693 and gemcitabine. The various transcriptional factor network systems detected in PanIN and IPMN cells reflect the distinct molecular profiles of these cell types. Further, we hope that these findings will enhance our mechanistic understanding of the characteristic molecular alterations underlying pancreatic cancer precursors. These data may provide a promising direction for therapeutic research

Sulfated Dextrans Enhance In Vitro Amplification of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy PrPSc and Enable Ultrasensitive Detection of Bovine PrPSc

Prions, infectious agents associated with prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, and scrapie in sheep and goats, are primarily comprised of PrP(Sc), a protease-resistant misfolded isoform of the cellular prion protein PrP(C). Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) is a highly sensitive technique used to detect minute amounts of scrapie PrP(Sc). However, the current PMCA technique has been unsuccessful in achieving good amplification in cattle. The detailed distribution of PrP(Sc) in BSE-affected cattle therefore remains unknown.We report here that PrP(Sc) derived from BSE-affected cattle can be amplified ultra-efficiently by PMCA in the presence of sulfated dextran compounds. This method is capable of amplifying very small amounts of PrP(Sc) from the saliva, palatine tonsils, lymph nodes, ileocecal region, and muscular tissues of BSE-affected cattle. Individual differences in the distribution of PrP(Sc) in spleen and cerebrospinal fluid samples were observed in terminal-stage animals. However, the presence of PrP(Sc) in blood was not substantiated in the BSE-affected cattle examined.The distribution of PrP(Sc) is not restricted to the nervous system and can spread to peripheral tissues in the terminal disease stage. The finding that PrP(Sc) could be amplified in the saliva of an asymptomatic animal suggests a potential usefulness of this technique for BSE diagnosis. This highly sensitive method also has other practical applications, including safety evaluation or safety assurance of products and byproducts manufactured from bovine source materials

Spontaneous regression of mediastinal seminoma

A 27-year-old man was transferred to our hospital with the complaint of facial edema and diagnosis of giant anterior mediastinal tumor. But soon after admission, the size of the tumor decreased remarkably, although he had no particular treatment. As the tumor was not completely regressed, surgical resection was performed subsequently, and examination of the specimen showed small foci of seminoma within the area of dense fibrous scar tissue, originated from the thymus. While regression of germ cell tumors are well recognized in cases of nonseminomatous germ cell tumors, this phenomenon of primary mediastinal seminoma was not reported previously

Attachment Disorder and Early Media Exposure

Many studies have reported many adverse effects of children’s use of media. These effects include reduced cognitive development and hyperactivity and attention disorders. Although it has been recommended that child be kept away from the media during the early developmental period, many modern parents use the media as a way to calm their children. Consequently, these children lack the opportunity to form selective attachments by reduced social engagement. These children’s symptoms occasionally mimic autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, few studies have examined the symptoms children develop with early media exposure. Here, we present a boy exposed to the media during his early development who was diagnosed with attachment disorder. He was unable to make eye contact and was hyperactive and had delayed language development, like children with ASD. His symptoms improved dramatically after he was prevented from using all media and encouraged to play in other ways. After this treatment, he would make eye contact, and talked about playing with their parents. Simply avoiding the media and playing with others can change the behavior of a child with ASD-like symptoms. It is important to understand the symptoms caused by attachment disorder and early media exposure