Effect of strain on human dermal fibroblasts in a three-dimensional collagen sponge

Our aim was to design a simple compression system and investigate the influence of mechanical stress on skin-like structures. Many mechanical compression studies have employed intricate culture systems, so the relationship between extracellular matrix material and the response of skin cells to mechanical stress remains unknown. Our approach uses only glass vials, 6-well plates and standard laboratory equipment. We examined the influence of mechanical stress on human skin fibroblasts embedded within a collagen sponge. The results show that mechanical compression increases MMP-1 and MMP-2 release by the cells into the the cell culture. Our results suggest that pressure on the skin may affect extracellular matrix degradation through some as yet unidentified pathways and that IL-6 mRNA expression may be involved in this effect. Using our approach, the effects of static mechanical stress on protein expression by cells in the culture medium and in sponges can be easily examined, and therefore this system will be useful for further analyses of skin responses to mechanical stress.     

Dynalets: A new method for modelling and compressing biological signals. Applications to physiological and molecular signals

The biological information coming from electrophysiologic sensors like ECG, pulse sensor or from molecular signal devices like NMR spectrometry has to be visualized and manipulated in a compressed way for an efficient medical use by clinicians, if stored in scientific data bases or in personalized patient records repositories. Here, we define a new transform called Dynalet based on Liénard ordinary differential equations susceptible to model the mechanism at the source of the studied signal, and we propose to apply this new technique first to the modelling and compression of real biological periodic signals like ECG and pulse rhythm. We consider that the cardiovascular activity results from the summation of cellular oscillators located in the cardiac sinus node and we show that, as a result, the van der Pol oscillator (a particular Liénard system) fits well the ECG signal and the pulse signal. The reconstruction of the original signal (pulse or ECG) using Dynalet transform is then compared with that of Fourier, counting the number of parameters to be set for obtaining an expected signal-to-noise ratio. Then, we apply the Dynalet transform to the modelling and compression of molecular spectra obtained by protein NMR spectroscopy. The reconstruction of the original signal (peak) using Dynalet transform is again compared with that of Fourier. After reconstructing visually the peak, we propose to periodize the signal and give it to hear, the whole process being called the protein “stethoscope”.     

Dynamic compression and co-culture with nucleus pulposus cells promotes proliferation and differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are a set of multi potent stem cells potentially used in cartilage tissue engineering. We hypothesized that the effect of dynamic compression and co-culture with nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) promotes ASC proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation. A controlled dynamic compression loading device was utilized to stimulate ASCs obtained from Sprague Dawley (SD) rats and identified by flow cytometry. The proliferation index was measured by carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) staining. Dynamic compression, as well as co-culture enhanced chondrogenic differentiation of ASCs as indicated by the expression of SOX-9, type-II collagen and aggrecan, which were measured by real-time PCR and Western blot. In our study, we found dynamic compression promoted the proliferation of ASCs and induced its differentiation into NP-like cells. Combination of dynamic compression and co-culture showed an additive effect on NP-like cell differentiation.     

海藻酸钠明胶协同固定化的研究

目的:研究不同因素对固定化微胶囊的影响以及不同物质向微胶囊扩散的规律。方法:采用海藻酸钠与明胶协同固定化制备微胶囊,考察了海藻酸钠、明胶浓度等因子对微胶囊直径与机械强度的影响,以及牛血清蛋白与葡萄糖向微胶囊扩散的状况,并利用非稳态传递模型计算了这两种物质在微胶囊中的有效扩散系数。结果:随着海藻酸钠质量浓度的升高,微胶囊的直径与机械强度逐渐增大。制备的最优条件是CaCl2浓度为10%,滴定速度为180滴/min,最优浸泡时间为30min。在此条件下,葡萄糖与牛血清蛋白的有效扩散系数分别为4.63×10-5cm2/min、1.01×10-7cm2/min。结论:海藻酸钠明胶协同固定化制备的微胶囊作为一种生物载体,非常适合细胞或酶的固定化。     

单侧椎体后凸成形术治疗多发性骨髓瘤相关多节段椎体压缩性 骨折的临床观察

目的：评价经单侧穿刺球囊扩张椎体后凸成形术（BKP) 治疗多发性骨髓瘤（MM)相关的多节段椎体压缩性骨折的可行性与 临床疗效。方法：2009 年8月～2011 年10 月收集单纯采用经皮单侧穿刺BKP治疗MM所致的多节段椎体压缩性骨折患者共11 例30 个椎体。手术前后分别通过视觉模拟评分(VAS)、Oswestry功能障碍指数(ODI)、SF-36 各项指标评分、X线检查,以评价手术 前后椎体疼痛的缓解、功能改善、患者满意度、椎体的高度及后凸Cobb 角的恢复,以及骨水泥的渗漏情况。结果：11 例患者共30 个椎体均手术顺利。术中经单侧椎弓根注入骨水泥平均3.26 mL/椎。平均手术时间19 min/ 椎。每个椎体的平均透视19次。平 均随访12.5 个月,4 例随访中死亡。术后各时期的VAS和ODI评分均较术前明显降低(P<0.05)。术后SF-36 大部分指标评分明显 改善。术后椎体前缘、中线高度及Cobb 角矫正较术前明显恢复(P<0.05)。骨水泥渗漏率3.1%,但无明显的临床症状。结论：经单 侧穿刺BKP 治疗MM相关的椎体压缩性骨折手术时间短,较为安全,缓解疼痛迅速,明显改善后凸畸形,提高了患者生活独立能 力和精神状态。     

股骨近端防旋髓内钉与联合加压交锁髓内钉治疗老年股骨转子间骨折的疗效比较研究

目的:研究对比股骨近端防旋髓内钉(PENA-Ⅱ)与联合加压交锁髓内钉(Inter Tan)治疗老年股骨转子间骨折的疗效。方法:选择2014年6月至2016年6月我院收治的老年股骨转子间骨折患者92例,按照随机数字表法分为PENA-Ⅱ组与Inter Tan组,每组各46例。两组患者分别接受PENA-Ⅱ治疗和Inter Tan治疗,术后进行为期12个月的随访。比较两组临床疗效、手术相关指标(手术时间、术中出血量、骨折愈合时间)、手术前后骨密度水平变化情况以及并发症发生情况。结果:PENA-Ⅱ组优良率为89.13%,略高于Inter Tan组的86.96%,但两组比较差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。PENA-Ⅱ组患者手术时间、术中出血量分别为(65.2±15.3)min、(57.2±29.3)m L,明显低于Inter Tan组患者的(84.3±13.8)min、(104.7±36.5)m L(P0.05),两组患者骨折愈合时间比较差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。术前、术后12周以及术后24周PENA-Ⅱ组患者的腰椎骨密度水平与Inter Tan组比较差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。两组切口感染、肺部感染、下肢深静脉血拴、近端股骨外侧皮质劈裂以及髋内翻发生率对比差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:PENA-Ⅱ与Inter Tan治疗老年股骨转子间骨折的临床疗效相当,且两种手术方法对骨密度水平的影响及术后并发症发生率相似。但PENA-Ⅱ治疗具有手术时间短以及术中出血量少等优势,值得临床推广应用。     

Kolmogorov complexity of epithelial pattern formation: The role of regulatory network configuration

The tissues of multicellular organisms are made of differentiated cells arranged in organized patterns. This organization emerges during development from the coupling of dynamic intra- and intercellular regulatory networks. This work applies the methods of information theory to understand how regulatory network structure both within and between cells relates to the complexity of spatial patterns that emerge as a consequence of network operation. A computational study was performed in which undifferentiated cells were arranged in a two dimensional lattice, with gene expression in each cell regulated by identical intracellular randomly generated Boolean networks. Cell–cell contact signalling between embryonic cells is modeled as coupling among intracellular networks so that gene expression in one cell can influence the expression of genes in adjacent cells. In this system, the initially identical cells differentiate and form patterns of different cell types. The complexity of network structure, temporal dynamics and spatial organization is quantified through the Kolmogorov-based measures of normalized compression distance and set complexity. Results over sets of random networks that operate in the ordered, critical and chaotic domains demonstrate that: (1) ordered and critical networks tend to create the most information-rich patterns; (2) signalling configurations in which cell-to-cell communication is non-directional mostly produce simple patterns irrespective of the internal network domain; and (3) directional signalling configurations, similar to those that function in planar cell polarity, produce the most complex patterns, but only when the intracellular networks function in non-chaotic domains.     

Adaptive Neural Network-Based ECG Data Compression According to the Morphology

1IntroductionElbo（ECG）offersalotofilllcorralltinfondionforthediagnosisOfheartdis－eases．Berz1,seahaormalEChcax［lrins＞llleu＂knownsituations,thcycanbeCSUghtinthelongti1Ylecontin～11xHlltoriDg．ndterrnoultonngsystemwhichcanrecord24－hoUrECGdataisoneofeffectiveme～toprovidethefun～．AlthOUghthehag6scaleICmorestohavebeeddevelopepbedeavailabletostorelOngtboeECGdsta,itisveqdifficultyandtioublesomethatalopnUmbeOfdstaisprasersandstoredortiallsillltted．InthedigitedECGdata,thereare…     

Preparing to Work with Big Data in Proteomics – A Report on the HUPO‐PSI Spring Workshop

The Human Proteome Organisation Proteomics Standards Initiative (HUPO‐PSI) was established in 2002 with the aim of defining community standards for data representation in proteomics and facilitating data comparison, exchange and verification. The 2013 annual spring workshop was hosted by the University of Liverpool, UK and concentrated on updating and refining the existing standards in the light of new methodologies and technologies. To control the inflation of file sizes, strategies for file compression, particularly for mzML files, were explored. Best practices for encoding information such as protein grouping and PTM localisation were refined and documented. Additional example files for the mzQuantML format were designed to provide support for selected reaction monitoring techniques. Enhancements to the PSI Common Query Interface (PSICQUIC) and PSI‐MI XML were discussed. Finally, the group engaged in discussion on how the existing work of the HUPO‐PSI can be leveraged by the Metabolomics Standards Initiative to improve the capture of metabolite data.     

骨髓基质干细胞与激素相关缺血性骨坏死

骨髓基质干细胞(Bone marrow stromal cells,BMSCs)是一种具有组织修复和免疫调节功能的多能干细胞,它主要存在于骨髓中,然而,如今我们发现,在其他的一些组织中也存在它的身影,例如:脂肪组织、肌肉组织和肌腱组织等。通过骨髓穿刺的方法可以很容易的获得骨髓基质干细胞,它在体外有很强的增殖能力,即使没有动物血清和人工生长因子也可以用进行细胞培养。缺血性骨坏死可以由很多病因引起,研究发现,自身免疫性疾病和血液系统疾病治疗应用的激素与缺血性骨坏死的发生具有很大的相关性,但是,激素的应用在一些严重的疾病中往往又是不可避免的,这就需要我们找到一种方法来预防和治疗激素相关缺血性骨坏死。现在,治疗缺血性骨坏死的标准方法是髓芯减压术,但到了疾病晚期的时候,髓芯减压术治疗的效果就已经微乎其微了,由于骨髓基质干细胞所具有的分化潜能、易于获得和增殖的能力,使它可能成为治疗缺血性骨坏死的一种潜在的补充方式。