Intravital imaging of splenic classical monocytes modifying the hepatic CX3CR1 cells motility to exacerbate liver fibrosis via spleen-liver axis.

Unlabelled: CX3CR1 cells play a crucial role in liver fibrosis progression. However, changes in the migratory behavior and spatial distribution of spleen-derived and hepatic CX3CR1 cells in the fibrotic liver as well as their influence on the liver fibrosis remain unclear.

Methods: The CX3CR1 transgenic mice and CX3CR1-KikGR transgenic mice were used to establish the CCl4-induced liver fibrosis model.

Intravital imaging of the functions of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment during immunotherapy.

Cancer immunotherapy has developed rapidly in recent years and stands as one of the most promising techniques for combating cancer. To develop and optimize cancer immunotherapy, it is crucial to comprehend the interactions between immune cells and tumor cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME is complex, with the distribution and function of immune cells undergoing dynamic changes.

Surface interaction mechanisms of air bubbles, asphaltenes and oil drops in aqueous solutions with implications for interfacial engineering processes.

Hypothesis: Surface interactions of bubbles and oil with interface-active species like asphaltenes influence many interfacial phenomena in various engineering processes. It holds both fundamental and practical significance to quantitatively characterize these interactions.

Experiments: The surface forces of air bubbles, asphaltenes and asphaltenes-toluene droplets in various aqueous solutions have been quantified using an integrated thin film drainage apparatus and an atomic force microscope coupled with bubble probe.

A pH and Temperature Dual-Responsive Microgel-Embedded, Adhesive, and Tough Hydrogel for Drug Delivery and Wound Healing.

Stimuli-responsive hydrogels have attracted much attention over the past decade for potential bioengineering applications such as wound dressing and drug delivery. In this work, a pH and temperature dual-responsive microgel-embedded hydrogel has been fabricated by incorporating poly(-isopropylacrylamide--acrylic acid) (PNIPAAm--AAc) based microgel particles into polyacrylamide (PAAm)/chitosan (CS) semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN), denoted as microgel@PAM/CS. The resultant hydrogel possesses excellent mechanical properties including stretchability, compressibility, and elasticity.

Modeling HPV-Associated Disease and Cancer Using the Cottontail Rabbit Papillomavirus.

Approximately 5% of all human cancers are attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. HPV-associated diseases and cancers remain a substantial public health and economic burden worldwide despite the availability of prophylactic HPV vaccines. Current diagnosis and treatments for HPV-associated diseases and cancers are predominantly based on cell/tissue morphological examination and/or testing for the presence of high-risk HPV types.

Probing and Manipulating Noncovalent Interactions in Functional Polymeric Systems.

Noncovalent interactions, which usually feature tunable strength, reversibility, and environmental adaptability, have been recognized as driving forces in a variety of biological and chemical processes, contributing to the recognition between molecules, the formation of molecule clusters, and the establishment of complex structures of macromolecules. The marriage of noncovalent interactions and conventional covalent polymers offers the systems novel mechanical, physicochemical, and biological properties, which are highly dependent on the binding mechanisms of the noncovalent interactions that can be illuminated via quantification. This review systematically discusses the nanomechanical characterization of typical noncovalent interactions in polymeric systems, mainly through direct force measurements at microscopic, nanoscopic, and molecular levels, which provide quantitative information (e.

Stretchable, compressible, and conductive hydrogel for sensitive wearable soft sensors.

Conductive hydrogels hold great promises in wearable soft electronics. However, the weak mechanical properties, low sensitivity and the absence of multifunctionalities (e.g.

Probing Hydrophobic Interactions between Polymer Surfaces and Air Bubbles or Oil Droplets: Effects of Molecular Weight and Surfactants.

Hydrophobic interaction plays an important role in numerous interfacial phenomena and biophysical and industrial processes. In this work, polystyrene (PS) was used as a model hydrophobic polymer for investigating its hydrophobic interaction with highly deformable objects (i.e.

Coacervate-Based Instant and Repeatable Underwater Adhesive with Anticancer and Antibacterial Properties.

Underwater adhesion is a great challenge for the development of adhesives as the attractive interfacial intermolecular interactions are usually weakened by the surface hydration layer. The coacervation process of sessile organisms like marine mussels and sandcastle worms has inspired substantial research interest in the fabrication of long-lasting underwater adhesives, but they generally suffer from time-consuming curing triggered by surrounding environmental changes and cannot reserve the adhesiveness once damaged. Herein, an instant and repeatable underwater adhesive was developed based on the coacervation of tannic acid (TA) and poly(ethylene glycol)--poly(propylene glycol)--poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-PPG-PEG, F68), which was driven by hydrogen-bonding interaction, and the hydrophobic cores of F68 micelles offered an additional cross-linking to enhance the mechanical properties.

Surface interaction mechanisms in mineral flotation: Fundamentals, measurements, and perspectives.

As non-renewable natural resources, minerals are essential in a broad range of biological and technological applications. The surface interactions of mineral particles with other objects (e.g.

Gene Editing in Rabbits: Unique Opportunities for Translational Biomedical Research.

The rabbit is a classic animal model for biomedical research, but the production of gene targeted transgenic rabbits had been extremely challenging until the recent advent of gene editing tools. More than fifty gene knockout or knock-in rabbit models have been reported in the past decade. Gene edited (GE) rabbit models, compared to their counterpart mouse models, may offer unique opportunities in translational biomedical research attributed primarily to their relatively large size and long lifespan.

Adhesive Coacervates Driven by Hydrogen-Bonding Interaction.

Coacervation plays a critical role in numerous biological activities such as constructing biological tissues and achieving robust wet adhesion of marine sessile organisms, which conventionally occurs when oppositely charged polyelectrolytes are mixed in aqueous solutions driven by electrostatic attraction. Here, a novel type of adhesive coacervate is reported, driven by hydrogen-bonding interactions, readily formed by mixing silicotungstic acid and nonionic polyethylene glycol in water, providing a new approach for developing coacervates from nonionic systems. The as-prepared coacervate is easily paintable underwater, show strong wet adhesion to diverse substrates, and has been successfully applied as a hemostatic agent to treat organ injuries without displaying hemolytic activity, while with inherent antimicrobial properties thus avoiding inflammations and infections due to microorganism accumulation.

Late I Blocker GS967 Supresses Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia in a Transgenic Rabbit Model of Long QT Type 2.

Background: Long QT syndrome has been associated with sudden cardiac death likely caused by early afterdepolarizations (EADs) and polymorphic ventricular tachycardias (PVTs). Suppressing the late sodium current (I) may counterbalance the reduced repolarization reserve in long QT syndrome and prevent EADs and PVTs.

Methods: We tested the effects of the selective I blocker GS967 on PVT induction in a transgenic rabbit model of long QT syndrome type 2 using intact heart optical mapping, cellular electrophysiology and confocal Ca imaging, and computer modeling.

Short-Long Heart Rate Variation Increases Dispersion of Action Potential Duration in Long QT Type 2 Transgenic Rabbit Model.

The initiation of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in long QT syndrome type 2 (LQT2) has been associated with a characteristic ECG pattern of short-long RR intervals. We hypothesize that this characteristic pattern increases APD dispersion in LQT2, thereby promoting arrhythmia. We investigated APD dispersion and its dependence on two previous cycle lengths (CLs) in transgenic rabbit models of LQT2, LQT1, and their littermate controls (LMC) using random stimulation protocols.

Papillomavirus can be transmitted through the blood and produce infections in blood recipients: Evidence from two animal models.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) contribute to most cervical cancers and are considered to be sexually transmitted. However, papillomaviruses are often found in cancers of internal organs, including the stomach, raising the question as to how the viruses gain access to these sites. A possible connection between blood transfusion and HPV-associated disease has not received much attention.

Author Correction: The wide utility of rabbits as models of human diseases.

This article was originally published under a CC BY-NC-SA License, but has now been made available under a CC BY 4.0 License.

Bio-synthesis of palladium nanocubes and their electrocatalytic properties.

The bio-synthesis of palladium nanocubes (PdNCs) was realised using pine needle extract as the reducing agent and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide as the capping agent. As an eco-friendly and readily available biomass, pine needle extract avoided the use of highly polluting chemical reducing agents. The growth process of PdNCs was analysed using ultraviolet-vis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

The rabbit papillomavirus model: a valuable tool to study viral-host interactions.

Cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) was the first DNA virus shown to be tumorigenic. The virus has since been renamed and is officially known as Sylvilagus floridanus papillomavirus 1 (SfPV1). Since its inception as a surrogate preclinical model for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, the SfPV1/rabbit model has been widely used to study viral-host interactions and has played a pivotal role in the successful development of three prophylactic virus-like particle vaccines.

The wide utility of rabbits as models of human diseases.

Studies using the European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus contributed to elucidating numerous fundamental aspects of antibody structure and diversification mechanisms and continue to be valuable for the development and testing of therapeutic humanized polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. Additionally, during the last two decades, the use of the European rabbit as an animal model has been increasingly extended to many human diseases. This review documents the continuing wide utility of the rabbit as a reliable disease model for development of therapeutics and vaccines and studies of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying many human diseases.

Transient Outward K Current (I) Underlies the Right Ventricular Initiation of Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia in a Transgenic Rabbit Model of Long-QT Syndrome Type 1.

Background: Sudden death in long-QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1), an inherited disease caused by loss-of-function mutations in KCNQ1, is triggered by early afterdepolarizations (EADs) that initiate polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (pVT). We investigated ionic mechanisms that underlie pVT in LQT1 using a transgenic rabbit model of LQT1.

Methods: Optical mapping, cellular patch clamping, and computer modeling were used to elucidate the mechanisms of EADs in transgenic LQT1 rabbits.

Rabbit Models for Studying Human Infectious Diseases.

Using an appropriate animal model is crucial for mimicking human disease conditions, and various facets including genetics, anatomy, and pathophysiology should be considered before selecting a model. Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are well known for their wide use in production of antibodies, eye research, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases. However, a systematic description of the rabbit as primary experimental models for the study of various human infectious diseases is unavailable.

Spatially Discordant Alternans and Arrhythmias in Tachypacing-Induced Cardiac Myopathy in Transgenic LQT1 Rabbits: The Importance of IKs and Ca2+ Cycling.

Background: Remodeling of cardiac repolarizing currents, such as the downregulation of slowly activating K+ channels (IKs), could underlie ventricular fibrillation (VF) in heart failure (HF). We evaluated the role of Iks remodeling in VF susceptibility using a tachypacing HF model of transgenic rabbits with Long QT Type 1 (LQT1) syndrome.

Methods And Results: LQT1 and littermate control (LMC) rabbits underwent three weeks of tachypacing to induce cardiac myopathy (TICM).

Complex excitation dynamics underlie polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in a transgenic rabbit model of long QT syndrome type 1.

Background: Long QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1) is a congenital disease arising from a loss of function in the slowly activating delayed potassium current IKs, which causes early afterdepolarizations (EADs) and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (pVT).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying pVT using a transgenic rabbit model of LQT1.

Methods: Hearts were perfused retrogradely, and action potentials were recorded using a voltage-sensitive dye and CMOS cameras.