The dose-effect response of combined red and infrared photobiomodulation on insulin resistance in skeletal muscle cells.

Obesity is a major public health problem and is a major contributor to the development of insulin resistance. In previous studies we observed that single-wavelength red or infrared photobiomodulation (PBM) improved insulin signaling in adipocytes and skeletal muscle of mice fed a high-fat diet, but information about the combination of different wavelengths, as well as the effect of different light doses (J/cm) is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different doses of dual-wavelength PBM on insulin signaling in muscle cell, and explore potential mechanisms involved.

Strontium-containing mineralized phospholipid coatings improve osseointegration in osteoporotic rats.

Surface treatments play an important role in enhancing the osseointegration of Titanium (Ti) and its alloys. This study introduces a method employing biomimetic hydroxyapatite (Hap) deposition guided by molecularly organized phospholipids, affixed to the metal implant surface. Using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, phospholipids were deposited onto Ti-screws by using CaCl or CaCl/SrCl aqueous solution in the subphase of a Langmuir trough in the target proportion (i.

Concerted regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism and contractile properties by the orphan nuclear receptor Nr2f6.

Background: The maintenance of skeletal muscle plasticity upon changes in the environment, nutrient supply, and exercise depends on regulatory mechanisms that couple structural and metabolic adaptations. The mechanisms that interconnect both processes at the transcriptional level remain underexplored. Nr2f6, a nuclear receptor, regulates metabolism and cell differentiation in peripheral tissues.

Antioxidant effects of LEDT in dystrophic muscle cells: involvement of PGC-1α and UCP-3 pathways.

Purpose: Reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial dysfunction play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The light-emitting diode therapy (LEDT) showed beneficial effects on the dystrophic muscles. However, the mechanisms of this therapy influence the molecular pathways in the dystrophic muscles, particularly related to antioxidant effects, which still needs to be elucidated.

Local adaptation and future climate vulnerability in a wild rodent.

As climate change continues, species pushed outside their physiological tolerance limits must adapt or face extinction. When change is rapid, adaptation will largely harness ancestral variation, making the availability and characteristics of that variation of critical importance. Here, we used whole-genome sequencing and genetic-environment association analyses to identify adaptive variation and its significance in the context of future climates in a small Palearctic mammal, the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus).

Annexin A5 stabilizes matrix vesicle-biomimetic lipid membranes: unravelling a new role of annexins in calcification.

Matrix vesicles are a special class of extracellular vesicles thought to actively contribute to both physiologic and pathologic mineralization. Proteomic studies have shown that matrix vesicles possess high amounts of annexin A5, suggesting that the protein might have multiple roles at the sites of calcification. Currently, Annexin A5 is thought to promote the nucleation of apatitic minerals close to the inner leaflet of the matrix vesicles' membrane enriched in phosphatidylserine and Ca.

LED therapy plus idebenone treatment targeting calcium and mitochondrial signaling pathways in dystrophic muscle cells.

Intracellular calcium dysregulation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction are some of the main pathway contributors towards disease progression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This study is aimed at investigating the effects of light emitting diode therapy (LEDT) and idebenone antioxidant treatment, applied alone or together in dystrophic primary muscle cells from mdx mice, the experimental model of DMD. Mdx primary muscle cells were submitted to LEDT and idebenone treatment and evaluated for cytotoxic effects and calcium and mitochondrial signaling pathways.

The benefits of Shuai Shou Gong (SSG) demonstrated in a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) study of older adults in two communities in Thailand.

Introduction: Shuai Shou Gong (SSG) is a type of Arm Swing Exercise (ASE) developed and practiced especially by older people in China for over one thousand years to maintain physical health and well-being. Until now the potential benefits of SSG have not been investigated in a Randomised Control Trial (RCT).

Materials And Methods: Fifty six older women were recruited from each of two urban communities in Khon Kaen, Thailand.

Collagen/κ-Carrageenan-Based Scaffolds as Biomimetic Constructs for Bone Mineralization Studies.

Tissue engineering offers attractive strategies to develop three-dimensional scaffolds mimicking the complex hierarchical structure of the native bone. The bone is formed by cells incorporated in a molecularly organized extracellular matrix made of an inorganic phase, called biological apatite, and an organic phase mainly made of collagen and noncollagenous macromolecules. Although many strategies have been developed to replicate the complexity of bone at the nanoscale , a critical challenge has been to control the orchestrated process of mineralization promoted by bone cells and replicate the anatomical and biological properties of native bone.

CuO nanoparticles synthesized by green and chemical routes, and evaluation of their antibacterial and antifungal effect on functionalized textiles.

The potential for the application of metal-containing nanomaterials at the nanoscale promotes the opportunity to search for new methods for their elaboration, with special attention to those sustainable methods. In response to these challenges, we have investigated a new method for green synthesis of cuprous oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) using juice as an organic reductant and, comparing it with chemical synthesis, evaluating in both cases the influence of the volume of the organic (juice) and chemical (ascorbic acid) reductants, for which a large number of techniques such as spectrophotometry, EDX spectrometry, TEM, SEM, DLS, FTIR spectroscopy have been used. Likewise, the nanomaterial with better morphological characteristics, stability, and size homogeneity has been applied in the functionalization of textiles by means of in situ and post-synthesis impregnation methods.

Influence of Er:YAG laser irradiation on surface properties of Ti-6Al-4V machined and hydroxyapatite coated.

Surface treatment by laser irradiation can change the topography of titanium; however, little is known about the changes it causes when applied to other coatings. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of Er:YAG laser irradiation on the surface properties of titanium-aluminum-vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V) discs. Four Ti-6Al-4V surfaces were evaluated (n = 10): CON-control, machined without surface treatment; LT-machined + laser treatment; HA-hydroxyapatite coating; and LT-HA-hydroxyapatite coating + laser treatment.

Shedding Light on the Role of Na,K-ATPase as a Phosphatase during Matrix-Vesicle-Mediated Mineralization.

Matrix vesicles (MVs) contain the whole machinery necessary to initiate apatite formation in their lumen. We suspected that, in addition to tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP), Na,K,-ATPase (NKA) could be involved in supplying phopshate (P) in the early stages of MV-mediated mineralization. MVs were extracted from the growth plate cartilage of chicken embryos.

Ultrasensitive Diamond Microelectrode Application in the Detection of Ca Transport by AnnexinA5-Containing Nanostructured Liposomes.

This report describes the innovative application of high sensitivity Boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond microelectrodes for tracking small changes in Ca concentration due to binding to Annexin-A5 inserted into the lipid bilayer of liposomes (proteoliposomes), which could not be assessed using common Ca selective electrodes. Dispensing proteoliposomes to an electrolyte containing 1 mM Ca resulted in a potential jump that decreased with time, reaching the baseline level after ~300 s, suggesting that Ca ions were incorporated into the vesicle compartment and were no longer detected by the microelectrode. This behavior was not observed when liposomes (vesicles without AnxA5) were dispensed in the presence of Ca.

NPP1 and TNAP hydrolyze ATP synergistically during biomineralization.

Matrix vesicles (MVs) are a special class of extracellular vesicles released by mineralizing cells during bone and tooth mineralization that initiate the precipitation of apatitic minerals by regulating the extracellular ratio between inorganic phosphate (P), a calcification promoter, and pyrophosphate (PP), a calcification inhibitor. The P/PP ratio is thought to be controlled by two ecto-phosphatases present on the outer leaflet of the MVs' membrane: ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (NPP1) that produces PP as well as P from ATP and tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) that hydrolyzes both ATP and PP to generate P. However, if and how these enzymes act in concert in MVs are still unclear.

Curcumin-loaded carrageenan nanoparticles: Fabrication, characterization, and assessment of the effects on osteoblasts mineralization.

The use of Curcumin (CR) as a bioactive molecule to prevent and treat inflammation- related diseases is widespread. However, the high hydrophobicity hinders the in vivo bioavailability of CR, reducing its therapeutic index. In the present study, we described the use of nanoparticles (NPs) made of kappa-carrageenan (κ-Carr), a sulphated polysaccharide, as cost-effective, biodegradable and biocompatible CR carriers.

Fabrication and characterization of a bioactive polymethylmethacrylate-based porous cement loaded with strontium/calcium apatite nanoparticles.

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-based cements are used for bone reparation due to their biocompatibility, suitable mechanical properties, and mouldability. However, these materials suffer from high exothermic polymerization and poor bioactivity, which can cause the formation of fibrous tissue around the implant and aseptic loosening. Herein, we tackled these problems by adding Sr -substituted hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (NPs) and a porogenic compound to the formulations, thus creating a microenvironment suitable for the proliferation of osteoblasts.

Eastern Canada Flocks: images and manually annotated bird positions.

The Eastern Canada (ECA) Flocks data set consists of manually annotated images from the Common Eider (COEI, Somateria mollissima) Winter Survey and the Greater Snow Geese (GSGO, Anser caerulescens atlanticus) Spring Survey. The images were taken in eastern Canada using fixed-wing aircraft and manually annotated with ImageJ's Cell counter plugins. We selected and annotated the ECA Flocks images in order to test the precision of the CountEm flock size estimation method.

Phosphatidylserine controls calcium phosphate nucleation and growth on lipid monolayers: A physicochemical understanding of matrix vesicle-driven biomineralization.

Bone biomineralization is an exquisite process by which a hierarchically organized mineral matrix is formed. Growing evidence has uncovered the involvement of one class of extracellular vesicles, named matrix vesicles (MVs), in the formation and delivery of the first mineral nuclei to direct collagen mineralization. MVs are released by mineralization-competent cells equipped with a specific biochemical machinery to initiate mineral formation.

Epilepsy and Electroencephalographic Abnormalities in SATB2-Associated Syndrome.

Background: Seizures are an under-reported feature of the SATB2-associated syndrome phenotype. We describe the electroencephalographic findings and seizure semiology and treatment in a population of individuals with SATB2-associated syndrome.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 101 individuals with SATB2-associated syndrome who were reported to have had a previous electroencephalographic study to identify those who had at least one reported abnormal result.

Robotic Extrusion of Algae-Laden Hydrogels for Large-Scale Applications.

A bioprinting technique for large-scale, custom-printed immobilization of microalgae is developed for potential applications within architecture and the built environment. Alginate-based hydrogels with various rheology modifying polymers and varying water percentages are characterized to establish a window of operation suitable for layer-by-layer deposition on a large scale. Hydrogels formulated with methylcellulose and carrageenan, with water percentages ranging from 80% to 92.

DNA barcoding of the rodent genus (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae): mitogenomic-anchored database and identification of nuclear mitochondrial translocations (Numts).

DNA barcoding has become a standard method for species identification in taxonomically complex groups. An important step of the barcoding process is the construction of a library of voucher-based material that was properly identified by independent methods, free of inaccurate identification, and paralogs. We provide here a () DNA barcode database for species of the genus , based on type material and karyotyped specimens, and anchored on the mitochondrial genome of one species of , .

Synthesis of Sr-morin complex and its in vitro response: decrease in osteoclast differentiation while sustaining osteoblast mineralization ability.

Strontium ranelate (SrR) has been used as the ultimate choice for osteoporosis treatment. However, the development of more tolerable and bioactive Sr carriers is still a need. The design of Sr-based platforms has moved towards the obtention of anion carriers that can also exhibit a positive effect on bone metabolism.