Calibration of the axial stiffness of a single-beam acoustic tweezers.

Single-beam acoustic tweezers have recently been demonstrated to be capable of selective three-dimensional trapping. This new contactless manipulation modality has great potential for many scientific applications. Its development as a scientific tool requires precise calibration of its radiation force, specifically its axial component.

Smooth muscle α integrins regulate vascular fibrosis via CD109 downregulation of TGF-β signalling.

Aims: α integrins are implicated in fibrosis in a number of organs through their ability to activate TGF-β. However their role in vascular fibrosis and collagen accumulation is only partially understood. Here we have used α conditional knockout mice and cell lines to determine how α contributes to vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) function in vascular fibrosis and the role of TGF-β in that process.

Early MRI termination with major impact on the radiological interpretation: The experience of a large university hospital.

Purpose: To report the incidence of early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) terminations and analyse their risk factors in a large university hospital.

Method: All consecutive patients aged > 16 years who underwent an MRI over a 14-month period were included. The following parameters were collected: demographics, in- or outpatient, history of claustrophobia, anatomical region investigated, and early MRI termination along with its cause.

Cell senescence: basic mechanisms and the need for computational networks in vascular ageing.

This review seeks to provide an update of the mechanisms of vascular cell senescence, from newly identified molecules to arterial ageing phenotypes, and finally to present a computational approach to connect these selected proteins in biological networks. We will discuss current key signalling and gene expression pathways by which these focus proteins and networks drive normal and accelerated vascular ageing. We also review the possibility that senolytic drugs, designed to restore normal cell differentiation and function, could effectively treat multiple age-related vascular diseases.