刺猬的皮肌及其神经支配

刺猬的皮肤,包括皮肤肌和皮下脂肪,是一个质量很大的器官,平均占体重43形,最多可达57％以上。刺猬的皮肌,如果不是动物界中最发达的,也是非常发达的,尤其环状皮肌带约占体重11％(赵以炳等1958)。在功能上,刺猬的皮肌是重要的生理性体温调节器官,背面带针刺的部分有保温御寒作用,腹部有散热机能(赵以炳等1950a)。清醒的刺猬当遇到强敌或其它干扰时,常蜷缩成带剌的球。不活动的冬眠刺猬也取同样姿势,以防侵害。可以说,蜷缩是一种主动的保护性行为,这种强烈的蜷缩主要是由于环状皮肌带持续有力的收缩。尤其令人惊奇的是冬眠时的蜷缩,这是在一般生理活动明显降低的     

New method for the isolation of endothelial cells from large vessels

Background aimsNumerous protocols for the isolation of bovine aortic endothelial cells have been described in the previous literature. However, these protocols prevent researchers from obtaining the pure population of endothelial cells. Thus, this study aimed to develop a new and economical method for the isolation of pure endothelial cells by introducing a new strategy to the enzymatic digestion method proposed by previous researchers.MethodsWith the use of this method, the lumen of a bovine aorta was filled with wash medium and the outer surface of the sample was washed with alcohol for 30 seconds. Under a laminar flow hood, the inner surface of the sample was covered with filter paper. Collagenase type II was dripped onto the filter paper as a digestion enzyme. The digestion fluid was seeded in T25 flasks and fed with complete medium every 3 days.ResultsThe isolated cells were characterized by markers such as CD31, von Willebrand factor, 1,1′-dioctadecyl-1,3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate acetylated low-density lipoprotein and angiogenesis behavior. The purity of endothelial cells was detected by flow cytometry to be of nearly 90% purity; these results were confirmed by immunostaining. Moreover, endothelial cells formed blood vessel–like tubes in a three-dimensional environment, which is specific dynamic behavior for endothelial cells.ConclusionsThe new strategy presented in the current report enables isolation of a highly pure population of endothelial cells that can survive long-term culture without inducing an overgrowth of fibroblast cells.     

Monoallelic IFT140 pathogenic variants are an important cause of the autosomal dominant polycystic kidney-spectrum phenotype

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Non-Canonical Allostery in Cyclic Nucleotide Dependent Kinases

The cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKA and PKG) are canonically activated by the corresponding cyclic nucleotides. However, both systems are also sensitive to a wide range of non-canonical allosteric effectors, such as reactive oxygen species, which induce the formation of regulatory inter- and intra-molecular disulfide bridges, and disease-related mutations (DRMs). Here, we present a combined analysis of representative non-canonical allosteric effectors for PKA and PKG, and we identify common molecular mechanisms underlying non-canonical allostery in these kinases, from shifts in dynamical regulatory equilibria to modulation of inter-protomer interactions. In addition, mutations may also drive oligomerization beyond dimerization, and possibly phase transitions, causing loss of kinase inhibitory function and amplifying the allosteric effects of DRMs. Hence non-canonical allosteric stimuli often result in constitutive kinase activation underlying either physiological control of downstream signaling pathways or pathological outcomes, from aortic aneurisms to cancer predisposition. Overall, PKA and PKG emerge as “pan-sensors” going well beyond canonical cyclic nucleotide activation, revealing their versatile roles as central signaling hubs.     

Gut microbiome dysbiosis contributes to abdominal aortic aneurysm by promoting neutrophil extracellular trap formation

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Serum protein and zinc levels in patients with thoracic empyema

The element Zn is the metal component or activator of many important enzymes. The tissue concentrations and activities of Zn metalloenzymes direct the rate of protein and nucleic acid syntheses, thereby influencing tissue growth and reperative processes. Most of the serum Zn is normally bound to circulating proteins. Low serum Zn concentrations might result from depletion of Zn-binding proteins. Serum protein and Zn concentrations have been reported to be depressed in patients with acute and chronic diseases. We compare the serum protein and Zn values of patients with thoracic empyema (n=20) with those of a control group (n=20). The values obtained in the empyema group were significantly lower than those in the control group before the study. Test group administered 220 mg zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄. 7H₂O) over 20 d and there was a significant increase in the values for serum protein and Zn after the oral administration of the zinc sulfate.     

Improved immunoassay for Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 detection by aminated silica nanoparticle in ELISA

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is the vascular disease forming when aorta in the abdomen swells. AAA with the size of 5.5 and above has possibility to rupture and leads a death. Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1) is the circulating biomarker for AAA diagnosis, in this study IGF1 was detected by the improved Enzyme linked Immunoassay (ELISA). The conventional ELISA necessitates the improvement due to the lesser sensitivity than modern sensors. Higher biomolecular immobilization is one of the wise ways to enhance the sensitivity. This study was aimed to capture a higher number of IGF1 on ELISA surface through the aminated silica (SiO₂) nanoparticle with the size measured to be 80−100 nm. On the amine-SiO₂ modified surface, Glutaraldehyde (GLU) complexed IGF1 was chemically bonded. It was found that 400 pM of IGF1 detected on amine-SiO₂ modified ELISA, whereas the conventional ELISA without nanoparticle mediation shows the limit of detection as 12.5 nM with ∼30 times lower detection. The selectivity experiment was carried out with the mixture of IGF1 and relevant proteins (IGF2 and IGFBP3), and it was noticed that anti-IGF1 selectively detected IGF1. This nanoparticle-mediated surface immobilization captured a higher rate of antigen on a larger surface created for high-performance detection.     

The influence of fiber dispersion on the mechanical response of aortic tissues in health and disease: a computational study

Changes in the structural components of aortic tissues have been shown to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of aortic degeneration. Therefore, reliable stress analyses require a suitable and meaningful constitutive model that captures micro-structural changes. As recent data show, in-plane and out-of-plane collagen fiber dispersions vary significantly between healthy and aneurysmatic aortic walls. The aim of this study is to computationally investigate the influence of fiber dispersion on the mechanical response of aortic tissues in health and disease. In particular, the influence of three different fiber dispersions is studied: (i) non-rotationally symmetric dispersion, the most realistic assumption for aortic tissues; (ii) transversely isotropic dispersion, a special case; (iii) perfectly aligned fibers (no dispersion in either plane), another special case. Explicit expressions for the stress and elasticity tensors as needed for the implementation in a finite element code are provided. Three representative numerical examples are studied: planar biaxial extension, inflation of residually stressed and pre-stretched aortic segments and inflation of an idealized abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) geometry. For the AAA geometry the case of isotropic dispersion is additionally analyzed. Documented structural and mechanical parameters are taken from human aortas (healthy media/adventitia and AAA). The influence of fiber dispersions upon magnitudes and distributions of stresses and deformations are presented and analyzed. Stresses vary significantly, especially in the AAA case, where material stiffening is significantly influenced by fiber dispersion. The results highlight the need to incorporate the structural differences into finite element simulations to obtain more accurate stress predictions. Additionally, results show the capability of one constitutive model to represent different scenarios of aortic micro-structures allowing future studies of collagen reorientation during disease progression.