Ultrasound Microbubble-Facilitated Inner Ear Delivery of Gold Nanoparticles Involves Transient Disruption of the Tight Junction Barrier in the Round Window Membrane.

The application of ultrasound microbubbles (USMBs) enhances the permeability of the round window membrane (RWM) and improves drug delivery to the inner ear. In this study, we investigated the efficiency of USMB-aided delivery of chitosan-coated gold nanoparticles (CS-AuNPs) and the mechanism of USMB-mediated enhancement of RMW permeability. We exposed mouse inner ears to USMBs at an intensity of 2 W/cm and then filled the tympanic bulla with CS-AuNPs or fluorescein isothiocyanate-decorated CS-AuNPs (FITC-CS-AuNPs).

Hypoxia Induces a Metabolic Shift and Enhances the Stemness and Expansion of Cochlear Spiral Ganglion Stem/Progenitor Cells.

Previously, we demonstrated that hypoxia (1% O2) enhances stemness markers and expands the cell numbers of cochlear stem/progenitor cells (SPCs). In this study, we further investigated the long-term effect of hypoxia on stemness and the bioenergetic status of cochlear spiral ganglion SPCs cultured at low oxygen tensions. Spiral ganglion SPCs were obtained from postnatal day 1 CBA/CaJ mouse pups.

Rodent models for investigating the dysregulation of immune responses in type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease mediated by T cells that selectively destroy the insulin-producing β cells. Previous reports based on epidemiological and animal studies have demonstrated that both genetic factors and environmental parameters can either promote or attenuate the progression of autoimmunity. In recent decades, several inbred rodent strains that spontaneously develop diabetes have been applied to the investigation of the pathogenesis of T1D.

Kinetics of adaptive immunity to Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis in transgenic mice: evidence from diverse expression of double T1/T2 transgenes and Th1/Th2-related cytokines.

To investigate the kinetic changes in adaptive immunity during experimental Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) meningitis, we established a murine meningitis model based on T1/T2 doubly transgenic mice. These mice carry two transgenes that express two distinct cell-surface markers: a human Thy1 transgene (hThy1) under the control of the murine IFN-gamma promoter, and a murine Thy1.1 transgene (mThy1.