Slope walking causes short-term changes in soleus H-reflex excitability.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that downslope treadmill walking decreases spinal excitability. Soleus H-reflexes were measured in sixteen adults on 3 days. Measurements were taken before and twice after 20 min of treadmill walking at 2.

Knockout of Adamts7, a novel coronary artery disease locus in humans, reduces atherosclerosis in mice.

Background: Genome-wide association studies have established ADAMTS7 as a locus for coronary artery disease in humans. However, these studies fail to provide directionality for the association between ADAMTS7 and coronary artery disease. Previous reports have implicated ADAMTS7 in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell migration, but a role for and the direction of impact of this gene in atherogenesis have not been shown in relevant model systems.

Research of electrosurgical unit with novel antiadhesion composite thin film for tumor ablation: Microstructural characteristics, thermal conduction properties, and biological behaviors.

The objective of this study was to use surface functionalization to evaluate the antiadhesion property and thermal injury effects on the liver when using a novel electrosurgical unit with nanostructured-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC-Cu) thin films for tumor ablations. The physical and chemical properties of DLC-Cu thin films were characterized by contact angle goniometer, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. Three-dimensional (3D) hepatic models were reconstructed using magnetic resonance imaging to simulate a clinical electrosurgical operation.

Biomedical electrosurgery devices containing nanostructure for minimally invasive surgery: reduction of thermal injury and acceleration of wound healing for liver cancer.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the thermal injury in the liver after a minimally invasive electrosurgery technique with a copper-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC-Cu) surface coating. To effectively utilize electrosurgery in a clinical caner setting, it is necessary to suppress the thermal injury to adjacent tissues. The surface morphologies of DLC-Cu thin films were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

Clinical applications of the pedicled anterolateral thigh flap in reconstruction.

Background: Reconstruction of extensive defects of the lower abdomen, penoscrotum, trochanter, groin and knee without using complex microsurgery is a reconstructive challenge. Pedicled anterolateral thigh (ALT) flaps offer many advantages over other regional flaps for this purpose, such as the large skin area and soft-tissue availability, a remarkable pedicle length, and possessing multiple components and reliability. We present our experience of using pedicled ALT flaps for repairing various defects.

Optimization protein productivity of human interleukin-2 through codon usage, gene copy number and intracellular tRNA concentration in CHO cells.

Transfer RNA (tRNA) abundance is one of the critical factors for the enhancement of protein productivity in prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts. Gene copy number of tRNA and tRNA codon usage bias are generally used to match tRNA abundance of protein-expressing hosts and to optimize the codons of recombinant proteins. Because sufficient concentration of intracellular tRNA and optimized codons of recombinant proteins enhanced translation efficiency, we hypothesized that sufficient supplement of host's tRNA improved protein productivity in mammalian cells.

Follow-up study of dental implants with bioactive oxide films on bone tissue healing and osseointegration: clinical radiography and bone quality analysis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate osseointegration and bone stress resulted during the first 3 months after the installation of functional implants modified with bioactive oxide.

Methods: Several studies have investigated finite element models for dental implants; however, only a few have examined a model for the implants during different stages of osseointegration. In this study, mandible models were reconstructed using computer tomographic data, and bone qualities and stress distributions were investigated as well.

Development of 3D in vitro technology for medical applications.

In the past few years, biomaterials technologies together with significant efforts on developing biology have revolutionized the process of engineered materials. Three dimensional (3D) in vitro technology aims to develop set of tools that are simple, inexpensive, portable and robust that could be commercialized and used in various fields of biomedical sciences such as drug discovery, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic approaches in regenerative medicine. The proliferation of cells in the 3D scaffold needs an oxygen and nutrition supply.

Nano-textured fluidic biochip as biological filter for selective survival of neuronal cells.

This is an innovative study to engineer biological filter to evaluate the effect of template surface structure and physiochemical properties that can be used for wide variety of applications in biological, health care as well as environmental protection. Specifically, planar silicon (Si) wafer and arrayed Si nano-tips (SiNT) templates were fabricated and coated with gold for various lengths of time to study the effect of surface charge, surface roughness, and hydrophilicity on biological activity of rat pheochromocytoma cell lines PC12. The initial growth and proliferation of PC12 cells on Si and SiNT templates showed an antipathy for the ultra-sharp SiNTs templates.

Controlled surface morphology and hydrophilicity of polycaprolactone toward selective differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells to neural like cells.

Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into neuron cells has great potential in therapy of damaged nerve tissue. It has been shown that three-dimensional biomaterials have great ability to up regulate the expression of neuronal proteins. In this study, O2 plasma technology was used to enhance hydrophilicity of poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) toward selective differentiation of MSCs into neural cells.

Depolymerisation optimisation of cranberry procyanidins and transport of resultant oligomers on monolayers of human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells.

Procyanidins in cranberries are predominantly polymers (>85%). The objective of this study was to optimise the depolymerisation of polymers and to investigate the absorption of resultant oligomers on Caco-2 cell monolayers. Depolymerisation conditions were optimised using response surface methodology.

Efficacy of eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing for patients with posttraumatic-stress disorder: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: We performed the first meta-analysis of clinical studies by investigating the effects of eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy on the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and subjective distress in PTSD patients treated during the past 2 decades.

Methods: We performed a quantitative meta-analysis on the findings of 26 randomized controlled trials of EMDR therapy for PTSD published between 1991 and 2013, which were identified through the ISI Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature electronic databases, among which 22, 20, 16, and 11 of the studies assessed the effects of EMDR on the symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and subjective distress, respectively, as the primary clinical outcome.

Results: The meta-analysis revealed that the EMDR treatments significantly reduced the symptoms of PTSD (g = -0.

Microbial catabolism of procyanidins by human gut microbiota.

Scope: A major portion of ingested procyanidins is degraded by human microbiota in the colon into various phenolic compounds. These microbial metabolites are thought to contribute to the health benefits of procyanidins in vivo. The objective of this study was to identify and quantify the microbial metabolites of procyanidins after anaerobic fermentation with human microbiota.

Research of electrosurgical ablation with antiadhesive functionalization on thermal and histopathological effects of brain tissues in vivo.

Thermal injury and tissue sticking are two major concerns in the electrosurgery. In the present study, the effect of lateral thermal injury caused by different electrosurgical electrodes on wound healing was investigated. An electrosurgical unit equipped with untreated (SS) and titanium oxide layer-coated (TiO2-coated) stainless steel needle-type electrodes was used to create lesions on the rat brain tissue.

An Immunomodulatory Protein (Ling Zhi-8) from a Ganoderma lucidum Induced Acceleration of Wound Healing in Rat Liver Tissues after Monopolar Electrosurgery.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an immunomodulatory protein (Ling Zhi-8, LZ-8) on wound healing in rat liver tissues after monopolar electrosurgery. Animals were sacrificed for evaluations at 0, 3, 7, and 28 days postoperatively. It was found that the wound with the LZ-8 treatment significantly increases wound healing.

Effect of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 and Ling Zhi-8 on osteogenesis: a comparative study using a rabbit sinus model.

Purpose: This study evaluated the osteogenetic capability of Ling Zhi-8 (LZ-8; a protein purified from traditional Chinese medicine [lingzhi]) compared with recombinant human bone morphogenic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in a standardized bony defect using a rabbit sinus model.

Materials And Methods: Twelve male New Zealand white rabbits (18 to 24 weeks old, 3.3 to 3.

Hemodynamic disturbed flow induces differential DNA methylation of endothelial Kruppel-Like Factor 4 promoter in vitro and in vivo.

Rationale: Hemodynamic disturbed flow (DF) is associated with susceptibility to atherosclerosis. Endothelial Kruppel-Like Factor 4 (KLF4) is an important anti-inflammatory atheroprotective transcription factor that is suppressed in regions of DF.

Objective: The plasticity of epigenomic KLF4 transcriptional regulation by flow-mediated DNA methylation was investigated in vitro and in arterial tissue.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST-C) for patients with alcoholism.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST-C).

Design & Methods: The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for the MAST-C were examined in this study.

Findings: The MAST-C had an internal consistency of 0.

Effects of antibacterial nanostructured composite films on vascular stents: hemodynamic behaviors, microstructural characteristics, and biomechanical properties.

The purpose of this research was to investigate stresses resulting from different thicknesses and compositions of hydrogenated Cu-incorporated diamond-like carbon (a-C:H/Cu) films at the interface between vascular stent and the artery using three-dimensional reversed finite element models (FEMs). Blood flow velocity variation in vessels with plaques was examined by angiography, and the a-C:H/Cu films were characterized by transmission electron microscopy to analyze surface morphology. FEMs were constructed using a computer-aided reverse design system, and the effects of antibacterial nanostructured composite films in the stress field were investigated.

Biomedical nanostructured coating for minimally invasive surgery devices applications: characterization, cell cytotoxicity evaluation and an animal study in rat.

Background: Thermal injury and tissue sticking, which influence wound remodeling, are major concerns in electrosurgery. In this study, the effect of lateral thermal injury caused by different electrosurgical electrodes on hepatic remodeling was investigated.

Methods: A monopolar electrosurgical unit equipped with untreated stainless steel (SS) and chromium nitride coated stainless steel (CrN-SS) electrodes was used to create lesions on the liver lobes of adult rats.

Cerebellar and oculomotor dysfunction induced by rapid infusion of pethidine.

Pethidine is an opioid that gains its popularity for the effective pain control through acting on the opioid-receptors. However, rapid pain relief sometimes brings about unfavourable side effects that largely limit its clinical utility. Common side effects include nausea, vomiting and hypotension.

Thiamine deficiency and cardiac dysfunction in Cambodian infants.

Objectives: To compare blood thiamine concentrations, echocardiography findings, and plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels in infants with clinically diagnosed beriberi and healthy matched controls, and to evaluate changes after thiamine treatment.

Study Design: Sixty-two Cambodian infants (20 cases and 42 controls), aged 2-47 weeks, were enrolled in this prospective study. Echocardiography and phlebotomy were performed at baseline and after thiamine treatment.

Microfluidic-based manufacture of siRNA-lipid nanoparticles for therapeutic applications.

A simple, efficient, and scalable manufacturing technique is required for developing siRNA-lipid nanoparticles (siRNA-LNP) for therapeutic applications. In this chapter we describe a novel microfluidic-based manufacturing process for the rapid manufacture of siRNA-LNP, together with protocols for characterizing the size, polydispersity, RNA encapsulation efficiency, RNA concentration, and total lipid concentration of the resultant nanoparticles.

Cellular response of calcium phosphate bone substitute containing hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate.

Purpose: This study developed calcium phosphate bone substitutes and their microstucture and in vitro cell response were evaluated in comparison with commercial hydroxyapatite (HA).

Materials: HA powder was ball-milled and then sintered to transfer into the calcium phosphate bulks (CPB). The density, hardness, and microstructure of the CPB were investigated.