IDENTIFYING GAIT ASYMMETRY USING DIGITAL SENSORS

The purpose of this study was to determine which phases and kinematics were easier to identify gait asymmetry by using digital sensors. Sixteen participants were recruited in this study. The participants were requested to walk naturally under two conditions (with or without asymmetrical load). Four digital sensor sets were attached on 4 limbs to collect kinematics data. The results showed that only the AS1 of Medial-Later acceleration of upper limb on the stance phase significantly different between unloading and loading conditions; on the lower limb were AS1 of Superior-Inferior acceleration and Flex/Extension angular velocity on the swing phase. The digital sensors that attach on upper and lower limbs both can detect gait asymmetry, but the asymmetrical phase and kinematics are different on upper and lower limbs

Akt1-Inhibitor of DNA binding2 is essential for growth cone formation and axon growth and promotes central nervous system axon regeneration.

Mechanistic studies of axon growth during development are beneficial to the search for neuron-intrinsic regulators of axon regeneration. Here, we discovered that, in the developing neuron from rat, Akt signaling regulates axon growth and growth cone formation through phosphorylation of serine 14 (S14) on Inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2). This enhances Id2 protein stability by means of escape from proteasomal degradation, and steers its localization to the growth cone, where Id2 interacts with radixin that is critical for growth cone formation. Knockdown of Id2, or abrogation of Id2 phosphorylation at S14, greatly impairs axon growth and the architecture of growth cone. Intriguingly, reinstatement of Akt/Id2 signaling after injury in mouse hippocampal slices redeemed growth promoting ability, leading to obvious axon regeneration. Our results suggest that Akt/Id2 signaling is a key module for growth cone formation and axon growth, and its augmentation plays a potential role in CNS axonal regeneration

Pluripotent human embryonic stem cell derived neural lineages for in vitro modelling of enterovirus 71 infection and therapy

The incidence of neurological complications and fatalities associated with Hand, Foot & Mouth disease has increased over recent years, due to emergence of newly-evolved strains of Enterovirus 71 (EV71). In the search for new antiviral therapeutics against EV71, accurate and sensitive in vitro cellular models for preliminary studies of EV71 pathogenesis is an essential prerequisite, before progressing to expensive and time-consuming live animal studies and clinical trials. This study thus investigated whether neural lineages derived from pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESC) can fulfil this purpose. EV71 infection of hESC-derived neural stem cells (NSC) and mature neurons (MN) was carried out in vitro, in comparison with RD and SH-SY5Y cell lines. Results: Upon assessment of post-infection survivability and EV71 production by the various types, it was observed that NSC were significantly more susceptible to EV71 infection compared to MN, RD (rhabdomyosarcoma) and SHSY5Y cells, which was consistent with previous studies on mice. The SP81 peptide had significantly greater inhibitory effect on EV71 production by NSC and MN compared to the cancer-derived RD and SH-SY5Y cell lines. Hence, this study demonstrates that hESC-derived neural lineages can be utilized as in vitro models for studying EV71 pathogenesis and for screening of antiviral therapeutics

Perbandingan penghasilan siderofor daripada Bacillus aryabhattai, Bacillus megaterium dan Bacillus cereus

Besi merupakan unsur yang penting bagi proses metabolisme organisma seperti kitar asid trikarboksilik, pengangkutan elektron dan fosforilasi oksidatif. Walau bagaimanapun, sumber besi di persekitaran luar sentiasa berada dalam bentuk kompleks yang tidak tersedia untuk pengambilan terus. Bagi mengatasi pengehadan besi, mikroorganisma berupaya untuk menghasilkan siderofor, sejenis pengkelat Fe(III) yang berafinan tinggi. Salah satu genus bakteria yang dapat menghasilkan siderofor adalah Bacillus. Dalam kajian ini, penghasilan dan keupayaan pengkompleksan siderofor Bacillus cereus, Bacillus megaterium dan Bacillus aryabhattai ditentukan melalui asai piring agar dan cecair krom azurol S (CAS). Kesan sumber karbon (glukosa, maltosa dan gliserol) ke atas penghasilan siderofor oleh Bacillus turut dikaji. Hasil kajian telah menunjukkan bahawa B. cereus yang dikulturkan dalam kaldu LB berupaya untuk menghasilkan siderofor yang tertinggi berbanding B. aryabhattai dan B. megaterium. Siderofor yang dihasilkan oleh ketiga-tiga spesies berupaya untuk berkompleks dengan Mn(II), Zn(II) dan Cu(II). Hasil kajian turut menunjukkan pengkulturan dengan maltosa telah memberikan penghasilan siderofor yang paling tinggi bagi B. aryabhattai dan B. megaterium

Real Time Animation of Virtual Humans: A Trade-off Between Naturalness and Control

Virtual humans are employed in many interactive applications using 3D virtual environments, including (serious) games. The motion of such virtual humans should look realistic (or ‘natural’) and allow interaction with the surroundings and other (virtual) humans. Current animation techniques differ in the trade-off they offer between motion naturalness and the control that can be exerted over the motion. We show mechanisms to parametrize, combine (on different body parts) and concatenate motions generated by different animation techniques. We discuss several aspects of motion naturalness and show how it can be evaluated. We conclude by showing the promise of combinations of different animation paradigms to enhance both naturalness and control

Synergistic anti-atherosclerotic effect of Yerba Maté (Illex Paraguariensis) polyphenols and Lox-1 silencing in foam cell model

Purpose: To elucidate the anti-atherosclerotic effect of Yerba Mate polyphenols (MP) as well as the anti-atherosclerotic effect of a combination of MP and silencing of lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 interference group (LOX)-1.Methods: The anti-atherosclerotic effects of control group (CG), simvastatin group (SG), MP group (MP), LOX-1 interference group (LOX) and MP + LOX-1 interference group (MP-LOX) were determined using Oil Red O staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot assay.Results: The levels of foam cells, intracellular lipids, viz, total cholesterol (TC), free cholesterol (FC), cholesterol ester (CE) and acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase 1 (ACAT1); LOX-1, inflammation (TNF-alpha, IL-6 and pNF-κB/NF-κB); adhesion molecular status (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in SG and in MP, LOX and MP-LOX groups were significantly decreased, when compared with CG (p < 0.01). The levels of these parameters were much lower in MPLOX group than in SG (p < 0.01). However, they were synergistically reduced in MP-LOX group, relative to MP group or LOX group (p < 0.01). Combination of LOX-1 gene silencing with MP produced synergistic anti-atherosclerotic effect which was reflected in decreases in foam cell formation, intracellular lipids, inflammatory status, adhesion molecular status, and MCP-1-mediated migration and infiltration of macrophages in foam cells.Conclusion: The synergistic anti-atherosclerotic effects of MP and LOX-1 gene silencing may be potential tools for development of anti-atherosclerotic agents

Electrical Abnormalities in Dopaminergic Neurons of the Substantia Nigra in Mice With an Aromatic L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase Deficiency

Aromatic L-acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency causes severe motor disturbances in affected children. A putamen-targeted gene therapy improves the motor function of patients. The present study investigated the electrical properties of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra compacta (SNc) of mice with an AADC deficiency (DdcKI). The basal firing of DA neurons, which determines DA release in the putamen, was abnormal in the DdcKI mice, including a low frequency and irregular firing pattern, because of a decrease in the after-hyperpolarization (AHP) amplitude of action potentials (APs). The frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) increased and that of spontaneous inhibitory PSCs (sIPSCs) decreased in the SNc DA neurons from the DdcKI mice, suggesting an elevation in glutamatergic excitatory stimuli and a reduction in GABAergic inhibitory stimuli, respectively. Altered expression patterns of genes encoding receptors and channels were also observed in the DdcKI mice. Administration of a widespread neuron-specific gene therapy to the brains of the DdcKI mice partially corrected these electric abnormalities. The overexcitability of SNc DA neurons in the presence of generalized dopamine deficiency likely underlies the occurrence of motor disturbances

Advanced diamond-reinforced metal matrix composites via cold spray: properties and deposition mechanism

Diamond-reinforced metal matrix composites (DMMC) have great potential for wear-resistance applications due to the superior hardness of the diamond component. Cold spray as an emerging coating technique is able to fabricate coatings or bulk materials without exceeding the material melting point, thereby significantly lowering the risk of oxidation, phase transformation, and excessive thermal residual stress. In this paper, thick DMMC coatings were deposited onto aluminum alloy substrate via cold spray of three feedstock powders: copper-clad diamond and pure copper, and their mixtures. It was found that, due to its low processing temperature, cold spray is able to prevent graphitization of the diamond in the DMMC coatings. Further to that, the original diamond phase was almost completely retained in the DMMC coatings. In case of the coatings fabricated from copper-clad diamond powders only, its mass fraction reached 43 wt.%, i.e. value higher than in any previous studies using conventional pre-mixed powders. Furthermore, it was found that the added copper content powders acted as a buffer, effectively preventing the fracture of the diamond particles in the coating. Finally, the wear test on the coatings showed that the cold sprayed DMMC coatings had excellent wear-resistance properties due to the diamond reinforcement