Comparative in vitro toxicity of compositionally distinct thermal spray particulates in human bronchial cells.

Unlabelled: Thermal spray, in general, is a process that involves forcing a melted substance, such as metal or ceramic in the form of wire or powder, onto the surface of a targeted object to enhance its desired surface properties. In this paper, the melted substance is metal wire generated by an electric arc and forcibly coated on a rotary iron substrate using compressed air. This thermal process is referred to as double-wire arc thermal spray.

Face Value: Remote facial expression analysis adds predictive power to perceived effectiveness for selecting anti-tobacco PSAs.

Perceived effectiveness (PE) is a validated tool for predicting the potential impact of anti-tobacco public service announcements (PSAs). We set out to evaluate the added predictive value of facial expression analysis when combined with PE in a remote (online) survey. Each of 302 tobacco users watched 3 PSAs and allowed transmission of webcam videos from which metrics for "attention" (head position) and "facial action units" (FAU) were computed.

Ovulation induction is associated with altered growth but with preservation of normal metabolic function in murine offspring.

Objective: To study the effects of ovulation induction on mouse postnatal health, with a focus on growth pattern and glucose tolerance. To study the effect of ovulation induction on DNA methylation, we took advantage of the agouti viable yellow (A) mouse.

Design: Animal study.

Effect of culture conditions and method of conception on mouse live birth rate.

Objective: To understand in a mouse model whether there are differences in the decidua and live birth rate after transfer of blastocysts generated by in vitro fertilization (IVF) or by superovulation with spontaneous mating into unstimulated recipients.

Design: Animal experiment.

Setting: University-affiliated tertiary hospital.

Sex-specific epigenetic profile of inner cell mass of mice conceived in vivo or by IVF.

The preimplantation stage of development is exquisitely sensitive to environmental stresses, and changes occurring during this developmental phase may have long-term health effects. Animal studies indicate that IVF offspring display metabolic alterations, including hypertension, glucose intolerance and cardiac hypertrophy, often in a sexual dimorphic fashion. The detailed nature of epigenetic changes following in-vitro culture is, however, unknown.