Migration and proliferation drive the emergence of patterns in co-cultures of differentiating vascular progenitor cells.

Vascular cells self-organize into unique structures guided by cell proliferation, migration, and/or differentiation from neighboring cells, mechanical factors, and/or soluble signals. However, the relative contribution of each of these factors remains unclear. Our objective was to develop a computational model to explore the different factors affecting the emerging micropatterns in 2D.

Future trends of additive manufacturing in medical applications: An overview.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has recently demonstrated significant medical progress. Due to advancements in materials and methodologies, various processes have been developed to cater to the medical sector's requirements, including bioprinting and 4D, 5D, and 6D printing. However, only a few studies have captured these emerging trends and their medical applications.

PCP and Septins govern the polarized organization of the actin cytoskeleton during convergent extension.

Convergent extension (CE) requires the coordinated action of the planar cell polarity (PCP) proteins and the actin cytoskeleton, but this relationship remains incompletely understood. For example, PCP signaling orients actomyosin contractions, yet actomyosin is also required for the polarized localization of PCP proteins. Moreover, the actin-regulating Septins play key roles in actin organization and are implicated in PCP and CE in frogs, mice, and fish but execute only a subset of PCP-dependent cell behaviors.

New tools reveal PCP-dependent polarized mechanics in the cortex and cytoplasm of single cells during convergent extension.

Unlabelled: Understanding biomechanics of biological systems is crucial for unraveling complex processes like tissue morphogenesis. However, current methods for studying cellular mechanics are limited by the need for specialized equipment and often provide limited spatiotemporal resolution. Here we introduce two new techniques, Tension by Transverse Fluctuation (TFlux) and microrheology, that overcome these limitations.

Crowding alters F-actin secondary structure and hydration.

Actin, an important component of eukaryotic cell cytoskeleton, regulates cell shape and transport. The morphology and biochemical properties of actin filaments are determined by their structure and protein-protein contacts. Crowded environments can organize filaments into bundles, but less is known about how they affect F-actin structure.

Patterns of pharmaceutical supplies and medicines donations received during a natural disaster.

Background: In response to emergencies, such as wildfires, donations of pharmaceuticals often occur. These donations can be given directly by governments, to non-governmental organizations as corporate donations, or by private entities that donate to individual health institutions.

Objective: This paper aimed to collect, review and analyze pharmaceutical product donations received during the natural disaster caused by wildfires in the San Luis province, Argentina, in September and October 2020.

Hill-type, bioinspired actuation delivers energy economy in DC motors.

Electromagnetic motors convert stored energy to mechanical work through a linear force-velocity (FV) relationship. In biological systems, however, muscle actuation is characterized by the hyperbolic FV mechanisms of the Hill muscle-in which a parametercharacterizes the degree of nonlinearity. Previous work has shown that bioinspiration in human-engineered systems can contribute favorable mechanical attributes-such as energy efficiency, self-stability, and flexibility, among others.

Differences in Expression of Transcript Isoforms in Male and Female Cases with Loss of Function Variants and Neurodevelopmental Disorder.

Pathogenic hemizygous or heterozygous mutations in the IQSEC2 gene cause X-linked intellectual developmental disorder-1 (XLID1), characterized by a variable phenotype including developmental delay, intellectual disability, epilepsy, hypotonia, autism, microcephaly and stereotypies. It affects both males and females typically through loss of function in males and haploinsufficiency in heterozygous females. Females are generally less affected than males.

Twinfilin1 controls lamellipodial protrusive activity and actin turnover during vertebrate gastrulation.

The dynamic control of the actin cytoskeleton is a key aspect of essentially all animal cell movements. Experiments in single migrating cells and in vitro systems have provided an exceptionally deep understanding of actin dynamics. However, we still know relatively little of how these systems are tuned in cell-type-specific ways, for example in the context of collective cell movements that sculpt the early embryo.

Quantification of the mesh structure of bundled actin filaments.

Biopolymer networks are essential for a wide variety of cellular functions. The biopolymer actin is known to self-assemble into a variety of spatial structures in response to physiological and physical mechanisms. So far, the mechanics of networks of single actin filaments and bundles has previously been described.

Multiple Penetrating Eye Wounds Due to Suspected Self-Injury.

We present a case of a 29-year-old male night watchman complaining of sudden decreased vision, redness, and tearing of the left eye. On anamnesis, trauma was denied and personal past history was relevant for right eye enucleation due to an "eye injury" 8 years prior. At presentation, his visual acuity was 20/200 and intraocular pressure (IOP) was 10 mmHg.

Treating Opioid Use Disorder in Puerto Rico During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Providers' Leadership Efforts in Unprecedented Times.

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is an unprecedented medical and public health issue both in Puerto Rico (PR) and the greater US with an increase incidence of opioid use every year. Unprecedented and compounded emergencies in PR such as those caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, and the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with limited national and local governmental support, has forced most clinics in PR to take action to be able to continue providing care. This commentary summarizes the leadership and clinical initiatives of 3 community organizations in PR to maintain services for people with OUD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Integrating Competency-Based Didactic and Experiential Global Health Learning for Dental Students: The Global Health Learning Helix Model.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of immersive integrated experiential and didactic courses in strengthening competency-based global health learning in dental education. To address global inequities in oral health and student interest in global health, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine introduced two global health courses in 2017-18. The first was a didactic course in the core predoctoral curriculum, and the second, in collaboration with the Inter-American Center for Global Health, was a five-day elective experiential learning course in rural Costa Rica.

Colloidal Liquid Crystals Confined to Synthetic Tactoids.

When a liquid crystal forming particles are confined to a spatial volume with dimensions comparable to that of their own size, they face a complex trade-off between their global tendency to align and the local constraints imposed by the boundary conditions. This interplay may lead to a non-trivial orientational patterns that strongly depend on the geometry of the confining volume. This novel regime of liquid crystalline behavior can be probed with colloidal particles that are macro-aggregates of biomolecules.

Uncovering the dynamic precursors to motor-driven contraction of active gels.

Cells and tissues have the remarkable ability to actively generate the forces required to change their shape. This active mechanical behavior is largely mediated by the actin cytoskeleton, a crosslinked network of actin filaments that is contracted by myosin motors. Experiments and active gel theories have established that the length scale over which gel contraction occurs is governed by a balance between molecular motor activity and crosslink density.

Development and Evaluation of Copper Electrodes, Modified with Bimetallic Nanoparticles, to be Used as Sensors of Cysteine-Rich Peptides Synthesized by Tobacco Cells Exposed to Cytotoxic Levels of Cadmium.

We report on two new electrochemical sensors which, coupled to differential pulse voltammetry, constitutes a useful tool for diagnosis of heavy metal pollution. The electrochemical sensors AgHgNf/Cu and the AgBiNf/Cu were obtained by deposition of bimetallic particles of AgHg or AgBi on copper electrodes covered with a Nafion (Nf) film, respectively. Micrographs of the electrode's surface showed evenly scattered bimetallic particles, with an approximate diameter of 150 nm, embedded in the Nafion (Nf) film.

Evaluation of the Cadmium Accumulation in Tamarillo Cells () by Indirect Electrochemical Detection of Cysteine-Rich Peptides.

Long-term cadmium intake can be very dangerous to human health due to its toxic effects. Although people can be contaminated with this element from different sources, contaminated food is probably the most important one. Foods such as vegetables and fruits can become contaminated with cadmium existing in soils, irrigation water, or chemical fertilizers.

A Nafion Film Cover to Enhance the Analytical Performance of the CuO/Cu Electrochemical Sensor for Determination of Chemical Oxygen Demand.

We modified and evaluated the performance of a CuO/Cu electrochemical electrode for chemical oxygen demand (COD) determination by covering it with a Nafion (Nf) film. The resulting modified CuONf/Cu electrode sensor was used for the electrochemical determination of COD in river, slaughterhouse and estuarine water samples in order to evaluate its performance for this particular task. It was compared with the CuO/Cu sensor with no Nafion.

Force percolation of contractile active gels.

Living systems provide a paradigmatic example of active soft matter. Cells and tissues comprise viscoelastic materials that exert forces and can actively change shape. This strikingly autonomous behavior is powered by the cytoskeleton, an active gel of semiflexible filaments, crosslinks, and molecular motors inside cells.

Electrochemical determination of arsenic in natural waters using carbon fiber ultra-microelectrodes modified with gold nanoparticles.

We have developed an anodic stripping voltammetry method that employs carbon fiber ultra-microelectrodes modified with gold nanoparticles to determine arsenic in natural waters. Gold nanoparticles were potentiostatically deposited on carbon fiber ultra-microelectrodes at -0.90V (vs SCE) for a time of 15s, to form the carbon fiber ultra-microelectrodes modified with gold nanoparticles.

Finite particle size drives defect-mediated domain structures in strongly confined colloidal liquid crystals.

When liquid crystals are confined to finite volumes, the competition between the surface anchoring imposed by the boundaries and the intrinsic orientational symmetry-breaking of these materials gives rise to a host of intriguing phenomena involving topological defect structures. For synthetic molecular mesogens, like the ones used in liquid-crystal displays, these defect structures are independent of the size of the molecules and well described by continuum theories. In contrast, colloidal systems such as carbon nanotubes and biopolymers have micron-sized lengths, so continuum descriptions are expected to break down under strong confinement conditions.

Vertical Jumping Tests Wingate Anaerobic Test in Female Volleyball Players: The Role of Age.

Single and continuous vertical jumping tests, as well as the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT), are commonly used to assess the short-term muscle power of female volleyball players; however, the relationship among these tests has not been studied adequately. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine the relationship of single and continuous vertical jumps with the WAnT in female volleyball players. Seventy adolescent (age 16.

Reconstituting cytoskeletal contraction events with biomimetic actin-myosin active gels.

The actin-myosin cytoskeleton allows cells to move, change shape, and exert forces. These fascinating functions involve active contraction of cross-linked networks of actin filaments by myosin II motor proteins. Unlike muscle cells, where actin and myosin form ordered bundles that contract homogeneously, nonmuscle cells have a variety of more disordered types of actin-myosin meshworks.