Assessment of Extracellular Particles Directly in Diluted Plasma and Blood by Interferometric Light Microscopy. A Study of 613 Human and 163 Canine Samples.

Extracellular nanoparticles (EPs) are a subject of increasing interest for their biological role as mediators in cell-cell communication; however, their harvesting and assessment from bodily fluids are challenging, as processing can significantly affect samples. With the aim of minimizing processing artifacts, we assessed the number density () and hydrodynamic diameter () of EPs directly in diluted plasma and blood using the following recently developed technique: interferometric light microscopy (ILM). We analyzed 613 blood and plasma samples from human patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), collected in trisodium citrate and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) anticoagulants, and 163 blood and plasma samples from canine patients with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS).

Correlation between sagittal balance and thoracolumbar elastic energy parameters in 42 spines subject to spondylolisthesis or spinal stenosis and 21 normal spines.

The curvature of the lumbar spine plays a critical role in maintaining spinal function, stability, weight distribution, and load transfer. We have developed a mathematical model of the lumbar spine curve by introducing a novel mechanism: minimization of the elastic bending energy of the spine with respect to two biomechanical parameters: dimensionless lumbosacral spinal curvature and dimensionless curvature increment along the spine CI. While most of the biomechanical studies focus on a particular segment of the spine, the distinction of the presented model is that it describes the shape of the thoracolumbar spine by considering it as a whole (non-locally) and thus includes interactions between the different spinal levels in a holistic approach.

The Effect of Different Surfactants and Polyelectrolytes on Nano-Vesiculation of Artificial and Cellular Membranes.

Nano- and micro-sized vesicular and colloidal structures mediate cell-cell communication. They are important players in the physiology of plants, animals, and humans, and are a subject of increasing interest. We investigated the effect of three surfactants, N-cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and Triton X-100 (TX100), and two anionic polyelectrolytes, sodium polystyrene sulfonate (NaPSS) and sodium polymethacrylate (NaPMA), on nanoliposomes.

Enhanced Hemocompatibility and Cytocompatibility of Stainless Steel.

The present study introduces an advanced surface modification approach combining electrochemical anodization and non-thermal plasma treatment, tailored for biomedical applications on stainless steel grade 316L (SS316L) surfaces. Nanopores with various diameters (100-300 nm) were synthesized with electrochemical anodization, and samples were further modified with non-thermal oxygen plasma. The surface properties of SS316L surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and Water contact angle measurements.

Fine-Tuning the Nanostructured Titanium Oxide Surface for Selective Biological Response.

Cardiovascular diseases are a pre-eminent global cause of mortality in the modern world. Typically, surgical intervention with implantable medical devices such as cardiovascular stents is deployed to reinstate unobstructed blood flow. Unfortunately, existing stent materials frequently induce restenosis and thrombosis, necessitating the development of superior biomaterials.

The Impact of AlO Particles from Grit-Blasted Ti6Al7Nb (Alloy) Implant Surfaces on Biocompatibility, Aseptic Loosening, and Infection.

For the improvement of surface roughness, titanium joint arthroplasty (TJA) components are grit-blasted with AlO (corundum) particles during manufacturing. There is an acute concern, particularly with uncemented implants, about polymeric, metallic, and corundum debris generation and accumulation in TJA, and its association with osteolysis and implant loosening. The surface morphology, chemistry, phase analysis, and surface chemistry of retrieved and new AlO grit-blasted titanium alloy were determined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and confocal laser fluorescence microscopy, respectively.

Pathological and Therapeutic Significance of Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer Cell Migration and Metastasis.

The infiltration of primary tumors and metastasis formation at distant sites strongly impact the prognosis and the quality of life of cancer patients. Current therapies including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are limited in targeting the complex cell migration mechanisms responsible for cancer cell invasiveness and metastasis. A better understanding of these mechanisms and the development of new therapies are urgently needed.

Surfactin molecules with a cone-like structure promote the formation of membrane domains with negative spontaneous curvature and induce membrane invaginations.

Surfactin uniquely influences lipid bilayer structure by initially inducing membrane invaginations before solubilization. In this study, we exposed DOPC giant vesicles to various surfactin concentrations at different temperatures and observed surfactin-induced membrane invaginations by using differential interference contrast and confocal laser fluorescence microscopy. These invaginations were stable at room temperature but not at higher temperatures.

Coupling of nematic in-plane orientational ordering and equilibrium shapes of closed flexible nematic shells.

The impact of the intrinsic curvature of in-plane orientationally ordered curved flexible nematic molecules attached to closed 3D flexible shells was studied numerically. A Helfrich-Landau-de Gennes-type mesoscopic approach was adopted where the flexible shell's curvature field and in-plane nematic field are coupled and concomitantly determined in the process of free energy minimisation. We demonstrate that this coupling has the potential to generate a rich diversity of qualitatively new shapes of closed 3D nematic shells and the corresponding specific in-plane orientational ordering textures, which strongly depend on the shell's volume-to-surface area ratio, so far not predicted in mesoscopic-type numerical studies of 3D shapes of closed flexible nematic shells.

Inflammatory, Oxidative Stress and Small Cellular Particle Response in HUVEC Induced by Debris from Endoprosthesis Processing.

We studied inflammatory and oxidative stress-related parameters and cytotoxic response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) to a 24 h treatment with milled particles simulating debris involved in sandblasting of orthopedic implants (OI). We used different abrasives (corundum-(AlO), used corundum retrieved from removed OI (u. AlO), and zirconia/silica composite (ZrO/SiO)).

Small Cellular Particles from European Spruce Needle Homogenate.

Small cellular particles (SCPs) are being considered for their role in cell-to-cell communication. We harvested and characterized SCPs from spruce needle homogenate. SCPs were isolated by differential ultracentrifugation.

Autologous Platelet and Extracellular Vesicle-Rich Plasma as Therapeutic Fluid: A Review.

The preparation of autologous platelet and extracellular vesicle-rich plasma (PVRP) has been explored in many medical fields with the aim to benefit from its healing potential. In parallel, efforts are being invested to understand the function and dynamics of PVRP that is complex in its composition and interactions. Some clinical evidence reveals beneficial effects of PVRP, while some report that there were no effects.

Assessment of Small Cellular Particles from Four Different Natural Sources and Liposomes by Interferometric Light Microscopy.

Small particles in natural sources are a subject of interest for their potential role in intercellular, inter-organism, and inter-species interactions, but their harvesting and assessment present a challenge due to their small size and transient identity. We applied a recently developed interferometric light microscopy (ILM) to assess the number density and hydrodynamic radius (R) of isolated small cellular particles (SCPs) from blood preparations (plasma and washed erythrocytes) (B), spruce needle homogenate (S), suspension of flagellae of microalgae (T), conditioned culture media of microalgae (P), and liposomes (L). The aliquots were also assessed by flow cytometry (FCM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), ultraviolet-visible spectrometry (UV-vis), and imaging by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM).

Solitons in the Heimburg-Jackson model of sound propagation in lipid bilayers are enabled by dispersion of a stiff membrane.

Experiments show that elastic constants of lipid bilayers vary greatly during the liquid-to-gel phase transition. This fact forms the cornerstone of the Heimburg-Jackson model of soliton propagation along membranes of axons, in which the action potential is accompanied by a traveling phase transition. However, the dispersion term, which is crucial for the existence of solitons, is added to the Heimburg-Jackson model ad hoc and set to fit experimental observations.

Interaction between Microalgae and Bacteria sp. for Removal of Bisphenols from Conditioned Media.

We studied the efficiency of three culture series of the microalgae () and bacteria sp. (axenic microalgae, bacterial culture and co-culture of the two) in removing bisphenols (BPs) from their growth medium. Bacteria were identified by 16S ribosomal RNA polymerase chain reaction (16S rRNA PCR).

A Novel Localization in Human Large Extracellular Vesicles for the EGF-CFC Founder Member CRIPTO and Its Biological and Therapeutic Implications.

Tumor growth and metastasis strongly rely on cell-cell communication. One of the mechanisms by which tumor cells communicate involves the release and uptake of lipid membrane encapsulated particles full of bioactive molecules, called extracellular vesicles (EVs). EV exchange between cancer cells may induce phenotype changes in the recipient cells.

Clinical Implementation of Platelet- and Extracellular Vesicle-Rich Product Preparation Protocols.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are considered essential mediators of regenerative roles of autologous platelet- and extracellular vesicle-rich plasma (PVRP) and platelet- and extracellular vesicle-rich gel (PVRG). PVRP and PVRG are novel blood-derived products gaining attraction in regenerative medicine. However, despite their reported good efficacy, their preparation protocols are too time-consuming.

Stability of Erythrocyte-Derived Nanovesicles Assessed by Light Scattering and Electron Microscopy.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are gaining increasing amounts of attention due to their potential use in diagnostics and therapy, but the poor reproducibility of the studies that have been conducted on these structures hinders their breakthrough into routine practice. We believe that a better understanding of EVs stability and methods to control their integrity are the key to resolving this issue. In this work, erythrocyte EVs (hbEVs) were isolated by centrifugation from suspensions of human erythrocytes that had been aged in vitro.

Assessment of coxarthritis risk with dimensionless biomechanical parameters.

Purpose: Unfavourable distribution of contact stress over the load bearing area is considered a risk factor for early coxarthritis and it is of interest to outline respective biomechanical parameters for its prediction. The purpose of the work was to develop a transparent mathematical model which can be used to assess contact stress in the hip from imaged structures of pelvis and proximal femora, in large population studies and in clinical practice.

Methods: We upgraded a previously validated three-dimensional mathematical model of the human hip in the one-legged stance HIPSTRESS by introducing parameters independent from the size of the structures in the images.

On the Role of Electrostatic Repulsion in Topological Defect-Driven Membrane Fission.

Within a modified Langevin Poisson-Boltzmann model of electric double layers, we derived an analytical expression for osmotic pressure between two charged surfaces. The orientational ordering of the water dipoles as well as the space dependencies of electric potentials, electric fields, and osmotic pressure between two charged spheres were taken into account in the model. Thus, we were able to capture the interaction between the parent cell and connected daughter vesicle or the interactions between neighbouring beads in necklace-like membrane protrusions.

A Monte Carlo study of giant vesicle morphologies in nonequilibrium environments.

It is known that giant vesicles undergo dynamic morphological changes when exposed to a detergent. The solubilization process may take multiple pathways. In this work, we identify lipid vesicle shape dynamics before the solubilization of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine giant vesicles with Triton X-100 (TR) detergent.

Identification of Tomato Infecting Viruses That Co-Isolate with Nanovesicles Using a Combined Proteomics and Electron-Microscopic Approach.

Plant-derived nanovesicles (NVs) have attracted interest due to their anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antioxidative properties and their efficient uptake by human intestinal epithelial cells. Previously we showed that tomato ( L.) fruit is one of the interesting plant resources from which NVs can be obtained at a high yield.