Apical bulkheads accumulate as adaptive response to impaired bile flow in liver disease.

Hepatocytes form bile canaliculi that dynamically respond to the signalling activity of bile acids and bile flow. Little is known about their responses to intraluminal pressure. During embryonic development, hepatocytes assemble apical bulkheads that increase the canalicular resistance to intraluminal pressure.

Hepatocyte apical bulkheads provide a mechanical means to oppose bile pressure.

Hepatocytes grow their apical surfaces anisotropically to generate a 3D network of bile canaliculi (BC). BC elongation is ensured by apical bulkheads, membrane extensions that traverse the lumen and connect juxtaposed hepatocytes. We hypothesize that apical bulkheads are mechanical elements that shape the BC lumen in liver development but also counteract elevated biliary pressure.

Accepting the Aging Body: Protective Factors of Body Acceptance in Persons of Advanced Age.

Physical attractiveness, productivity, religiosity, meaningfulness, and relationships are important characteristics of successful aging. To maintain psychological flexibility, acceptance and values-directed interventions have been effective in managing difficulties with aging. The present paper aimed to investigate body acceptance and individual values in healthy individuals over the age of 50 living in Austria.