Elastic shell theory for plant cell wall stiffness reveals contributions of cell wall elasticity and turgor pressure in AFM measurement.

The stiffness of a plant cell in response to an applied force is determined not only by the elasticity of the cell wall but also by turgor pressure and cell geometry, which affect the tension of the cell wall. Although stiffness has been investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Young's modulus of the cell wall has occasionally been estimated using the contact-stress theory (Hertz theory), the existence of tension has made the study of stiffness more complex. Elastic shell theory has been proposed as an alternative method; however, the estimation of elasticity remains ambiguous.

In situ measurement of cell stiffness of Arabidopsis roots growing on a glass micropillar support by atomic force microscopy.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can measure the mechanical properties of plant tissue at the cellular level, but for in situ observations, the sample must be held in place on a rigid support and it is difficult to obtain accurate data for living plants without inhibiting their growth. To investigate the dynamics of root cell stiffness during seedling growth, we circumvented these problems by using an array of glass micropillars as a support to hold an root for AFM measurements without inhibiting root growth. The root elongated in the gaps between the pillars and was supported by the pillars.

Hydrodynamic particle focusing enhanced by femtosecond laser deep grooving at low Reynolds numbers.

Microfluidic focusing of particles (both synthetic and biological), which enables precise control over the positions of particles in a tightly focused stream, is a prerequisite step for the downstream processing, such as detection, trapping and separation. In this study, we propose a novel hydrodynamic focusing method by taking advantage of open v-shaped microstructures on a glass substrate engraved by femtosecond pulse (fs) laser. The fs laser engraved microstructures were capable of focusing polystyrene particles and live cells in rectangular microchannels at relatively low Reynolds numbers (Re).

Effects of linagliptin monotherapy compared with voglibose on postprandial lipid profiles in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes: linagliptin study of effects on postprandial blood glucose (L-STEP) sub-study 1.

Recently, we reported that linagliptin had equivalent efficacy to voglibose in reducing postprandial blood glucose levels in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes (L-STEP Study). As a sub-study of the L-STEP Study we examined the effect of linagliptin on postprandial lipids profile. Between October 2012 and April 2014, the study enrolled patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had inadequate glycemic control.

Predictors of deterioration of glucose tolerance and effects of lifestyle intervention aimed at reducing visceral fat in normal glucose tolerance subjects with abdominal obesity.

Unlabelled: Aims/Introduction:  The aim of the present study was to determine the predictors of deterioration of glucose tolerance in individuals with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and abdominal obesity, and whether a lifestyle intervention to reduce visceral fat is effective in these individuals.

Materials And Methods:   The study subjects were 251 individuals who had abdominal obesity with certain risk factors (hypertension, high fasting plasma glucose (FPG), elevated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), dyslipidemia and hyperuricemia) and underwent oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in 2004 and 2005.

Results:   Using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, we found that PG at 0 min, 60 min, and area under the curve (AUC) of glucose from 0 to 120 min (AUC [glucose0-120]) in OGTT were significant predictors of deterioration of glucose tolerance, with optimal cut-off values of 95 mg/dL, 158 mg/dL and 271 mg h/dL, respectively.