Analysis and simulation of hollow-fiber bioreactor dynamics

A flexible and economical computer simulation model for the process analysis, parameter prediction, and optimal design of hollow-fiber biochemical reactors (HFBRs) has been developed. The validity and predictive capability of the HFBR simulator was successfully tested with two independent laboratory case studies. Of particular interest are the transient transport and bioconversion mechanisms including the effect of radial mass convection on the substrate uptake in the lumen. The portable computer code is an efficient tool to aid in theoretical and experimental investigations. The underlying principles used for the model development are applicable to a broad family of (membrane) bioreactors.     

Geometric design improvements for femoral graft-artery junctions mitigating restenosis

The present study is based on the hypothesis that nonuniform hemodynamics, represented by large time-averaged wall shear stress gradients, trigger abnormal biological processes leading to rapid restenosis, i.e. excessive tissue overgrowth and renewed plaque formation, and hence early graft failure. It implies that this problem may be significantly mitigated by finding graft-artery bypass configurations for which the wall shear stress gradient is approximately zero and hence nearly uniform hemodynamics is achieved. These fluid flow and geometric design considerations are applied to four different end-to-side anastomoses for the distal end of a femoral artery bypass with an appropriate test input pulse and a typical 20–80 flow division. A validated finite-volume code has been used to compute the transient three-dimensional velocity vector fields, wall shear stress distributions and surface contours of the wall shear stress gradients. It is shown that large anastomotic flow areas, small continuously changing bifurcation angles, and smooth junction wall curvatures reduce local time-averaged wall shear stress gradients significantly and hence should mitigate restenosis.     

Dynamic simulator for anaerobic digestion processes

A transient, two-culture model simulating methane production from biomass has been developed. The simulator, based partially on the work by Andrews and McCarty, is capable of calculating the hydrolysis products of several common organic materials, accommodating various substrate feeding modes, and simulating the transient physico-biochemical transport and conversion processes occurring in the biological, liquid, and gaseous phases of a well-mixed reactor. The mathematical representation of this bioconversion system consists of a set of 11 coupled, nonlinear first-order rate equations based on the principles of mass conservation and biochemical reaction kinetics. The model can be used in conjunction with laboratory investigations and as a simulator for evaluating process control strategies and cost developments.     

Intercellular communication in the rat anterior pituitary gland: an in vivo and in vitro study

The concept of "stimulus-secretion coupling" suggested by Douglas and co-workers to explain the events related to monamine discharge by the adrenal medulla (5, 7) may be applied to other endocrine tissues, such as adrenal cortex (36), pancreatic islets (4), and magnocellular hypothalamic neurons (6), which exhibit a similar ion-dependent process of hormone elaboration. In addition, they share another feature, that of joining neighbor cells via membrane junctions (12, 26, and Fletcher, unpublished observation). Given this, and the reports that hormone secretion by the pars distalis also involves a secretagogue-induced decrease in membrane bioelectric potential accompanied by a rise in cellular [Ca++] (27, 34, 41), it was appropriate to test the possibility that cells of the anterior pituitary gland are united by junctions.     

Particle-hemodynamics simulations and design options for surgical reconstruction of diseased carotid artery bifurcations

Based on the hypothesis that aggravating hemodynamic factors play a key role in the onset of arterial diseases, the methodology of "virtual prototyping" of branching blood vessels was applied to diseased external carotid artery (ECA) segments. The goals were to understand the underlying particle-hemodynamics and to provide various geometric design options for improved surgical reconstruction based on the minimization of critical hemodynamic wall parameters (HWPs). First, a representative carotid artery bifurcation (CAB) and then CABs with stenosed ECAs, i.e., a distally occluded ECA and an ECA stump, were analyzed based on transient three-dimensional blood flow solutions, employing a user-enhanced commercial finite volume code. Specifically, the HWPs, i.e., oscillatory shear index, wall shear stress angle gradient, near-wall residence time of monocytes, and near-wall helicity angle difference were evaluated to compare the merits of each design option, including a reconstructed near-optimal junction which generates the lowest HWP-values. The results provide physical insight to the biofluid dynamics of branching blood vessels and guide vascular surgeons as well as stent manufacturers towards interventions leading to high sustained patency rates.     

Natural products as starting points for future anti-malarial therapies: going back to our roots?

Background

Population movements along the Thailand-Cambodia border, particularly among highly mobile and hard-to-access migrant groups from Cambodia and Myanmar, are assumed to play a key role in the spread of artemisinin resistance. Data on treatment-seeking behaviours, knowledge and perceptions about malaria, and use of preventive measures is lacking as characteristics of this population prevent them from being represented in routine surveillance and the lack of a sampling frame makes reliable surveys challenging.

Methods

A survey of migrant populations from Cambodia and Myanmar was implemented in five selected rural locations in Thailand along the Thai-Cambodian border using respondent driven sampling (RDS) to determine demographic characteristics of the population, migratory patterns, knowledge about malaria, and health-care -seeking behaviours.

Results

The majority of migrants from Myanmar are long-term residents (98%) with no plans to move back to Myanmar, understand spoken Thai (77%) and can therefore benefit from health messages in Thai, have Thai health insurance (99%) and accessed public health services in Thailand (63%) for their last illness. In comparison, the majority of Cambodian migrants are short-term (72%). Of the short-term Cambodian migrants, 92% work in agriculture, 18% speak Thai, 3.4% have Thai health insurance, and the majority returned to Cambodia for treatment (45%), self-treated (11%), or did not seek treatment for their last illness (27%).

Conclusion

Most highly mobile migrants along the Thai-Cambodia border are not accessing health messages or health treatment in Thailand, increasing their risk of malaria and facilitating the spread of potentially resistant Plasmodium falciparum as they return to Cambodia to seek treatment. Reaching out to highly mobile migrants with health messaging they can understand and malaria diagnosis and treatment services they can access is imperative in the effort to contain the spread of artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum.     

Airway cellularity, lipid laden macrophages and microbiology of gastric juice and airways in children with reflux oesophagitis

Background and methods

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a recently discovered respiratory virus associated with bronchiolitis, pneumonia, croup and exacerbations of asthma. Since respiratory viruses are frequently detected in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD (AE-COPD) it was our aim to investigate the frequency of hMPV detection in a prospective cohort of hospitalized patients with AE-COPD compared to patients with stable COPD and to smokers without by means of quantitative real-time RT-PCR.

Results

We analysed nasal lavage and induced sputum of 130 patients with AE-COPD, 65 patients with stable COPD and 34 smokers without COPD. HMPV was detected in 3/130 (2.3%) AE-COPD patients with a mean of 6.5 × 10⁵ viral copies/ml in nasal lavage and 1.88 × 10⁵ viral copies/ml in induced sputum. It was not found in patients with stable COPD or smokers without COPD.

Conclusion

HMPV is only found in a very small number of patients with AE-COPD. However it should be considered as a further possible viral trigger of AE-COPD because asymptomatic carriage is unlikely.     

Computational analysis of biomechanical contributors to possible endovascular graft failure

This paper evaluates numerically coupled blood flow and wall structure interactions in a representative stented abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) model, leading potentially to endovascular graft (EVG) failure. A total of 12 biomechanical contributors to possible EVG migration were considered. The results show that after EVG insertion for the given model, the peak AAA sac-pressure was reduced to 14.2 mmHg (11.8% of p_lumen), and hence the maximum von Mises wall stress and wall deformation dropped by factors of 20 and 10, respectively. Thus, an EVG can significantly reduce sac pressure, mechanical stress, pulsatile wall motion, and the maximum diameter in AAAs and hence prevent AAA rupture effectively. In the absence of endoleaks, elevated sac-pressure can still be caused by fluid-structure interactions between the EVG, stagnant blood, and AAA wall. EVG migration forces vary from 1.4 to 7 N for different EVG geometries, material properties, and hemodynamic conditions. AAA-neck angle, iliac bifurcation angle, neck aorta-to-iliac diameter ratio, EVG size, aorto-uni-iliac EVG, and hypertension play important roles in generating forces potentially leading to EVG migration.     

Computational mechanics of Nitinol stent grafts

A finite element analysis of tubular, diamond-shaped stent grafts under representative cyclic loading conditions for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is presented. Commercial software was employed to study the mechanical behavior and fatigue performance of different materials found in commercially available stent-graft systems. Specifically, the effects of crimping, deployment, and cyclic pressure loading on stent-graft fatigue life, radial force, and wall compliances were simulated and analyzed for two types of realistic but different Nitinol materials (NITI-1 and NITI-2) and grafts (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene-ePTFE and polyethylene therephthalate-PET). The results show that NITI-1 stent has a better crimping performance than NITI-2. Under representative cyclic pressure loading, both NITI-1 and NITI-2 sealing stents are located in the safe zone of the fatigue-life diagram; however, the fatigue resistance of an NITI-1 stent is better than that of an NITI-2 stent. It was found that the two types of sealing stents do not damage a healthy neck artery. In the aneurysm section, the NITI-1&ePTFE, NITI-1&PET, and NITI-2&PET combinations were free of fatigue fracture when subjected to conditions of radial stress between 50 and 150mmHg. In contrast, the safety factor for the NITI-2&ePFTE combination was only 0.67, which is not acceptable for proper AAA stent-graft design. In summary, a Nitinol stent with PET graft may greatly improve fatigue life, while its compliance is much lower than the NITI-ePTFE combination.     

植物的遗传转化及其应用(英文)

近年来,植物遗传转化研究有了长足的发展。已经达到能够通过简单的遗传控制手段研究具有新表现型的植物,甚至达到进入商业化的程度。这些手段包括植物生物学的主要研究技术以及植物组织培养和树种改良的一些实用方法。尽管采用农瘤杆菌和鸟枪法等技术的植物遗传转化系统已经得到了广泛的应用,但是在如何开发具有能够得到控制表达的转基因高产植物方面,在如何使所得到的转基因植物远离遗传危害等方面,目前的转化系统遇到了极大的技术挑战。已经提出了各种各样的方法用于将新基因稳定地导入120多种不同植物的核基因组。本文将讨论这些遗传转化系统所需的生物学要求和实际应用方面的需求、基因转化和转基因表达的研究策略、遗传转化植物的鉴定以及转基因植物与大众的认可。本文将分为七个部分加以讨论:一、导言;二 、基因转化到细胞里的方法;三、植物遗传转化策略;四、植物遗传转化的鉴定;五、植物遗传转化的实际应用;六、转基因植物与环境;七、未来植物遗传转化的需求与发展方向。