Sensor for Rapid In-Field Classification of Cannabis Samples Based on Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.

A rugged handheld sensor for rapid in-field classification of cannabis samples based on their THC content using ultra-compact near-infrared spectrometer technology is presented. The device is designed for use by the Austrian authorities to discriminate between legal and illegal cannabis samples directly at the place of intervention. Hence, the sensor allows direct measurement through commonly encountered transparent plastic packaging made from polypropylene or polyethylene without any sample preparation.

Postnatal development of extracellular matrix and vascular function in small arteries of the rat.

Vascular extracellular matrix (ECM) is dominated by elastic fibers (elastin with fibrillin-rich microfibrils) and collagens. Current understanding of ECM protein development largely comes from studies of conduit vessels (e.g.

Absence of Arrhythmogenicity with Biphasic Pulsed Electric Fields Delivered to Porcine Airways.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) technologies treat many types of tissue. Many systems mandate synchronization to the cardiac cycle to avoid the induction of cardiac arrhythmias. Significant differences between PEF systems make the assessment of cardiac safety from one technology to another challenging.

Modification of Fibronectin by Non-Enzymatic Glycation Impairs K Channel Function in Rat Cerebral Artery Smooth Muscle Cells.

Fibronectin (FN) enhances K channel activity by integrin-mediated mechanisms. As vascular smooth muscle (VSM) K channels mediate vasodilation, we hypothesized that modification of fibronectin, via advanced non-enzymatic glycation, would alter signaling of this extracellular matrix protein through these channels. Bovine FN (1 mg/ml) was glycated (gFN) for 5 days using methylglyoxal (50 mM), and albumin was similarly glycated as a non-matrix protein control.

Changes in dynamics of tumor/endothelial cell adhesive interactions depending on endothelial cell growth state and elastic properties.

Cancer cell adhesion to the endothelium is a crucial process in hematogenous metastasis, but how the integrity of the endothelial barrier and endothelial cell (EC) mechanical properties influence the adhesion between metastatic cancer cells and the endothelium remain unclear. In the present study, we have measured the adhesion between single cancer cells and two types of ECs at various growth states and their mechanical properties (elasticity) using atomic force microscopy single cell force spectroscopy. We demonstrated that the EC stiffness increased and adhesion with cancer cells decreased, as ECs grew from a single cell to a confluent state and developed cell-cell contacts, but this was reversed when confluent cells returned to a single state in a scratch assay.

Switching behaviour in vascular smooth muscle cell-matrix adhesion during oscillatory loading.

Integrins regulate mechanotransduction between smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and the extracellular matrix (ECM). SMCs resident in the walls of airways or blood vessels are continuously exposed to dynamic mechanical forces due to breathing or pulsatile blood flow. However, the resulting effects of these forces on integrin dynamics and associated cell-matrix adhesion are not well understood.

Reduced stiffness and augmented traction force in type 2 diabetic coronary microvascular smooth muscle.

Type 2 diabetic (T2DM) coronary resistance microvessels (CRMs) undergo inward hypertrophic remodeling associated with reduced stiffness and reduced coronary blood flow in both mice and pig models. Since reduced stiffness does not appear to be due to functional changes in the extracellular matrix, this study tested the hypothesis that decreased CRM stiffness in T2DM is due to reduced vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) stiffness, which impacts the traction force generated by VSMCs. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and traction force microscopy (TFM) were conducted on primary low-passage CRM VSMCs from normal / and T2DM / mice in addition to low-passage normal and T2DM deidentified human coronary VSMCs.

Acute pancreatitis risk in type 2 diabetes patients treated with canagliflozin versus other antihyperglycemic agents: an observational claims database study.

Observational evidence suggests that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at increased risk for acute pancreatitis (AP) versus those without T2DM. A small number of AP events were reported in clinical trials of the sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor canagliflozin, though no imbalances were observed between treatment groups. This observational study evaluated risk of AP among new users of canagliflozin compared with new users of six classes of other antihyperglycemic agents (AHAs).

Canagliflozin and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes and Nephropathy.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo.

A Calcium Mediated Mechanism Coordinating Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Adhesion During KCl Activation.

Efficient mechanotransduction in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is intimately coupled to physical coupling of the cell to extracellular matrix proteins (ECM) by integrins. Integrin adhesion receptors are essential for normal vascular function and defective integrin signaling is associated with cardiovascular disease. However, less is known about the mechanism of integrin activation in VSMCs in relation to vasoregulation.

Temporal and molecular dynamics of human metastatic breast carcinoma cell adhesive interactions with human bone marrow endothelium analyzed by single-cell force spectroscopy.

Bone is a common site of metastasis for breast cancer and the mechanisms of metastasis are not fully elucidated. The purpose of our study was to characterize temporal and molecular dynamics of adhesive interactions between human breast cancer cells (HBCC) and human bone marrow endothelium (HBME) with piconewton resolution using atomic force microscopy (AFM). In adhesion experiments, a single breast cancer cell, MDA-MB-231 (MB231) or MDA-MB-435 (MB435) was attached to the AFM cantilever and brought into contact with a confluent HBME monolayer for different time periods (0.

Applications of Atomic Force Microscopy for Adhesion Force Measurements in Mechanotransduction.

Adhesive interactions between living cells or ligand-receptor interactions can be studied at the molecular level using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Adhesion force measurements are performed with functionalized AFM probes. In order to measure single ligand-receptor interactions, a cantilever with a pyramidal tip is functionalized with a bio-recognized ligand (e.

Spontaneous oscillation in cell adhesion and stiffness measured using atomic force microscopy.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an attractive technique for studying biomechanical and morphological changes in live cells. Using real-time AFM monitoring of cellular mechanical properties, spontaneous oscillations in cell stiffness and cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) have been found. However, the lack of automated analytical approaches to systematically extract oscillatory signals, and noise filtering from a large set of AFM data, is a significant obstacle when quantifying and interpreting the dynamic characteristics of live cells.

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Mechanoactivation Involves RGS5 (Regulator of G Protein Signaling 5) in Skeletal Muscle Arteries: Impaired Trafficking of RGS5 in Hypertension.

Studies suggest that arteriolar pressure-induced vasoconstriction can be initiated by GPCRs (G protein-coupled receptors), including the ATR (angiotensin II type 1 receptor). This raises the question, are such mechanisms regulated by negative feedback? The present studies examined whether RGS (regulators of G protein signaling) proteins in vascular smooth muscle cells are colocalized with the ATR when activated by mechanical stress or angiotensin II and whether this modulates ATR-mediated vasoconstriction. To determine whether activation of the ATR recruits RGS5, an in situ proximity ligation assay was performed in primary cultures of cremaster muscle arteriolar vascular smooth muscle cells treated with angiotensin II or hypotonic solution in the absence or presence of candesartan (an ATR blocker).

Achieving the composite endpoint of HbA1c, body weight, and systolic blood pressure reduction with canagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: In addition to achieving glycemic control, weight loss and blood pressure (BP) reduction are important components of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management, as many patients with T2DM are overweight/obese and/or have hypertension. Canagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, has demonstrated improvements in HbA1c, body weight (BW), and systolic BP across a broad range of patients with T2DM. This analysis evaluated achievement of composite endpoints of HbA1c, BW, and systolic BP targets with canagliflozin versus placebo.

Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibition With Saxagliptin Ameliorates Angiotensin II-Induced Cardiac Diastolic Dysfunction in Male Mice.

Activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is common in hypertension and obesity and contributes to cardiac diastolic dysfunction, a condition for which no treatment currently exists. In light of recent reports that antihyperglycemia incretin enhancing dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors exert cardioprotective effects, we examined the hypothesis that DPP-4 inhibition with saxagliptin (Saxa) attenuates angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac diastolic dysfunction. Male C57BL/6J mice were infused with either Ang II (500 ng/kg/min) or vehicle for 3 weeks receiving either Saxa (10 mg/kg/d) or placebo during the final 2 weeks.

Uric acid promotes vascular stiffness, maladaptive inflammatory responses and proteinuria in western diet fed mice.

Objective: Aortic vascular stiffness has been implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in obese individuals. However, the mechanism promoting these adverse effects are unclear. In this context, promotion of obesity through consumption of a western diet (WD) high in fat and fructose leads to excess circulating uric acid.

N-Cadherin, a novel and rapidly remodelling site involved in vasoregulation of small cerebral arteries.

Key Points: N-cadherin formed punctate adherens junctions (AJ) along the borders between vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the pressurized rat superior cerebellar artery. The formation of N-cadherin AJs in the vessel wall depends on the intraluminal pressure and was responsive to treatment with phenylephrine (PE) (10  m) and ACh (10  m). N-cadherin-coated beads were able to induce clustering of N-cadherin-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) on the plasma membrane of isolated VSMCs, whereas treatment with PE (10  m) or sodium nitroprusside (10  m) induced a significant increase or decrease in the N-cadherin-EGFP clustering, respectively.

Nonenzymatic glycation interferes with fibronectin-integrin interactions in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether advanced nonenzymatic glycation of the ECM protein, fibronectin, impacts its normal integrin-mediated interaction with arteriolar VSMC.

Methods: AFM was performed on cultured VSMC from rat cremaster arterioles to study native and glycated fibronectin (FN and gFN) interactions with cellular integrins. AFM probes were functionalized with FN or gFN or with native or glycated albumin (gAlb) as controls.