scholarly journals Alcohol Ablation of Cardiac Tissues Quantified and Evaluated Using CIELAB Euclidean Distances

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-270
Author(s):  
Ashley Rook ◽  
Mathews M. John ◽  
Allison Post ◽  
Mehdi Razavi
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Color Space ◽  
Blue Color ◽  
Cardiac Tissues ◽  
Alcohol Ablation ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Atrial Tissue ◽  
Biopsy Punch ◽  
Euclidean Distances ◽  
Time Point

Ethanol solubilizes cell membranes, making it useful for various ablation applications. We examined the effect of time and alcohol type on the extent of ablation, quantified as Euclidean distances between color coordinates. We obtained biopsy punch samples (diameter, 6 mm) of left atrial appendage, atrial, ventricular, and septal tissue from porcine hearts and placed them in transwell plates filled with ethanol or methanol for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 min. Control samples were taken for each time point. At each time point, samples were collected, cut transversely, and photographed. With use of a custom MATLAB program, all images were analyzed in the CIELAB color space, which is more perceptually uniform than the red-green-blue color space. Euclidean distances were calculated from CIELAB coordinates. The mean and standard error of these distances were analyzed. Two-way analysis of variance was used to test for differences among time points, and 2-tailed t tests, for differences between the alcohol datasets at each time point. Generally, Euclidean distances differed significantly between all time points, except for those immediately adjacent, and methanol produced larger Euclidean distances than ethanol did. Some tissue showed a plateauing effect, potentially indicating transmurality. Mean Euclidean distances effectively indexed alcohol ablation in cardiac tissue. Furthermore, we found that methanol ablated tissue more effectively than ethanol did. With ethanol, the extent of ablation for atrial tissue was largest at 60 min. We conclude that to achieve full transmurality in clinical applications, ethanol must remain in contact with atrial tissue for at least one hour.

scholarly journals Cytotoxicity assessment of different doses of ozonated water on dental pulp cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferdiye Küçük ◽  
Sibel Yıldırım ◽  
Serap Çetiner
Keyword(s):  
Cell Viability ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Dental Pulp ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Dental Pulp Cells ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Pulp Cells ◽  
Time Point ◽  
Ozonated Water

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to assess the cytotoxicity of various concentrations of ozonated water (OW) on human primary dental pulp cells. Methods Human primary dental pulp cells were isolated from exfoliated primary canine teeth of an 11-year-old patient with good systemic and oral health. Afterwards, cells were divided into 6 experimental groups; four groups of OW in concentrations of 2 mg/L, 4 mg/L, 8 mg/L, and 16 mg/L, untreated control group, and cell culture without cells. Cytotoxicity was evaluated after exposure for 5-min exposure using Mosmann’s Tetrazolium Toxicity (MTT) assay at 0 h and 48 h time points. Data were analyzed using a repeated measures analysis of variance and Post-hoc tests were performed using Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Results All experimental groups showed proliferation at 0 h time point. However, all groups also experienced a decrease in overtime at 48 h time point (p < 0.05). At both time points 2 mg/L OW showed the highest cell viability as well as proliferation. At 0 h time point, the increase in cell viability for all experimental groups was found statistically significant when compared to positive control group (p < 0.05). At 48 h time point, although 8 mg/L and 16 mg/L OW showed statistically significant reduction in compare to 0 h time point, 2 mg/L and 4 mg/L OW groups didn’t experience any statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Conclusion Considering our findings, due to ozonated water's induced a higher proliferation rate of dental pulp cells, indicating their biocompatibility and a possible adjuvant on irrigating agent in regenerative endodontic procedures.

scholarly journals Levels of physical activity in four domains and affective wellbeing before and during the Covid-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliane S. Engels ◽  
Michael Mutz ◽  
Yolanda Demetriou ◽  
Anne K. Reimers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
German Population ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Sport And Exercise ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Time Point

Abstract Background Latest studies indicated that the general mental health level is low during the pandemic. Probably, this deterioration of the mental health situation is partly due to declines in physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in and the association between affective wellbeing and levels of different domains of physical activity at three time points before and during the pandemic. Method We used a nationwide online panel with a trend data design encompassing a total sample of N = 3517, representing the German population (> 14 years). Four different activity domains (sport and exercise, light outdoor activity, housework/gardening, active travel) and affective wellbeing (positive and negative affect) were assessed at three time points before and during the Covid-19 pandemic (October 2019, March 2020, October 2020). Results Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) indicate differences regarding affective wellbeing over the three time points with the lowest values at the second time point. Levels of activity in the four domains differed significantly over time with the strongest decrease for sport and exercise from the first to the second time point. Partial correlations indicated that the relationships between sport and exercise and positive affect were most consistent over time. Conclusions Overall, our findings suggest that physical activity plays a particularly important role in the pandemic period as a protective factor against poor mental health. Especially sports and exercise seem to be supportive and should be encouraged, e.g. by providing additional support in finding adequate outdoor, home-based or digital substitutes.

scholarly journals Propagation of Voltage Deviations in a Power System

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 949
Author(s):  
Tomasz Okon ◽  
Kazimierz Wilkosz
Keyword(s):  
Power System ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Original Method ◽  
Operational Experience ◽  
Remedial Measures ◽  
Time Points ◽  
General Candidate ◽  
Time Point

The paper deals with voltage profiles in a power system. The analysis of these profiles is important due to the requirement that the Root-Mean-Squared (RMS) values of nodal voltages should be within certain ranges, as well as to ensure desired power flows in a power system. In both cases, it is desirable to indicate points in a power system where it is reasonable to apply remedial measures to meet the requirements for RMS values of nodal voltages, or to effectively control the power flows in a power system. In general, candidate nodes for remediation are established based on operational experience or measurement data from a certain time point (sometimes from several time points). The paper presents a method that provides a basis for determining the aforementioned candidate nodes based on the behavior of a system over a certain period of time, which is an unquestionable advantage of this proposal. In order to achieve the abovementioned goal, the method provides for the analysis of propagation of voltage RMS value deviations in a power system. The analysis of correlational relationships between the RMS values of nodal voltages is used for this. After presentation of the theoretical background, the new original method is described in the paper. Then, case studies showing the utilization of that method are presented. At the end of the paper, features of the proposed method are enumerated.

scholarly journals Endurance Training Regulates Expression of Some Angiogenesis-Related Genes in Cardiac Tissue of Experimentally Induced Diabetic Rats

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 498
Author(s):  
Mojdeh Khajehlandi ◽  
Lotfali Bolboli ◽  
Marefat Siahkuhian ◽  
Mohammad Rami ◽  
Mohammadreza Tabandeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Endurance Training ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Diabetic Rats ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Cardiac Tissues ◽  
The Impact

Exercise can ameliorate cardiovascular dysfunctions in the diabetes condition, but its precise molecular mechanisms have not been entirely understood. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of endurance training on expression of angiogenesis-related genes in cardiac tissue of diabetic rats. Thirty adults male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups (N = 10) including diabetic training (DT), sedentary diabetes (SD), and sedentary healthy (SH), in which diabetes was induced by a single dose of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg). Endurance training (ET) with moderate-intensity was performed on a motorized treadmill for six weeks. Training duration and treadmill speed were increased during five weeks, but they were kept constant at the final week, and slope was zero at all stages. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was used to measure the expression of myocyte enhancer factor-2C (MEF2C), histone deacetylase-4 (HDAC4) and Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in cardiac tissues of the rats. Our results demonstrated that six weeks of ET increased gene expression of MEF2C significantly (p < 0.05), and caused a significant reduction in HDAC4 and CaMKII gene expression in the DT rats compared to the SD rats (p < 0.05). We concluded that moderate-intensity ET could play a critical role in ameliorating cardiovascular dysfunction in a diabetes condition by regulating the expression of some angiogenesis-related genes in cardiac tissues.

scholarly journals Knee Muscle Strength Recovery in the Early Period After ACL Reconstruction

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (11_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967114S0014
Author(s):  
Gulcan Harput ◽  
Hasan Erkan Kılınc ◽  
Hamza Özer ◽  
Gül Baltacı ◽  
Carl G. Mattacola
Keyword(s):  
Acl Reconstruction ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Quadriceps Strength ◽  
Isometric Strength ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Hamstring Muscles ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Isometric Torque ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Time Point

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate quadriceps and hamstrings isometric strength at 4, 8 and 12 week time points following ACL Reconstruction (ACLR) and to document the strength changes of these muscles over time. The primary hypothesis was that there would be significant increases in quadriceps and hamstring muscle strengths between the 4th, 8th and 12th weeks following ACLR. The secondary hypothesis was that the quadriceps index would be higher than hamstring index at 12th week after ACLR. Methods: Thirty patients (Mean ± SD [age, 29.1±2.3yrs; weight, 77.3±13.2kg; height, 172.1±7.1cm; BMI, 21.2±3.5kg/m2, time to surgery: 7.1±7.2 months]) who underwent ACLR with Hamstring Tendon Autograft (HTG) were enrolled in this study. The isometric strength of quadriceps and hamstring muscles was measured on an isokinetic dynamometer at 60° knee flexion angle at 4th, 8th and 12th weeks after surgery. The recovery of quadriceps and hamstring muscles strength following rehabilitation was expressed as a Quadriceps Index (QI) and Hamstring Index (HI) and calculated with the following formula:[(maximum voluntary isometric torque of the involved limb / maximum voluntary isometric torque by uninvolved limb) × 100]. Torque output of the involved and uninvolved limbs and quadriceps and hamstring indexes were used for the statistical analysis. A repeated measures of ANOVA was used to determine the strength changes of quadriceps and hamstrings over time. Results: Quadriceps and Hamstrings strengths significantly increased over time for both involved (Quadriceps: F (2,46)=58.3, p<0.001, Hamstring: F (2,46)=35.7, p<0.001) and uninvolved limb (Quadriceps: F(2,46)=17.9, p<0.001, Hamstring: F(2,46)=56.9, p=0.001 ). Quadriceps strength was higher at 12th week when compared to the 8 and 4 week time points for the involved limb (p<0.001), and it was higher at 8th week when compared to 4 week time point for the involved limb (p<0.001). For the uninvolved limb, quadriceps strength was also higher at 12th week when compared to the 8 (p=0.02) and 4 week time point (p<0.001), and higher at 8 week when compared to the 4 week time point (p=0.02). Hamstring strength was higher at 12 week when compared to the 8 and 4 week time points (p<0.001) and it was higher at 8 week when compared to 4 week time point for the involved limb (p<0.001). For the uninvolved limb hamstring strength was also higher at 12 week when compared to 4 week time point (p=0.01). There was no significant difference between the 4 and 8 week time points (p>0.05) or between the 8 and 12 week time points (p=0.07). Quadriceps and hamstring indexes significantly changed from 4th weeks (QI:57.9, HI:54.4 ) to 8th weeks (QI:78.8, HI:69.9 ) and from 8th weeks to 12th weeks (QI:82, HI:75.7 ) (p<0.001); however, there was no difference between indexes at the 12-week time point (p=0.17). Conclusion: Isometric strength of quadriceps and hamstring muscles for the involved and uninvolved limb increased during the early period of ACLR. The results of this study could be a baseline for clinicians while prescribing a rehabilitation protocol for ACLR patients with HTG to better appreciate expected strength changes of the muscles in the early phase.

scholarly journals Virus isolation studies suggest short-term variations in abundance in natural cyanophage populations of the Indian Ocean

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 499-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha R.J. Clokie ◽  
Andrew D. Millard ◽  
Jaytry Y. Mehta ◽  
Nicholas H. Mann
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Molecular Diversity ◽  
Virus Isolation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Distinct Subgroup ◽  
Time Points ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Long Timescales ◽  
Time Point

Cyanophage abundance has been shown to fluctuate over long timescales and with depth, but little is known about how it varies over short timescales. Previous short-term studies have relied on counting total virus numbers and therefore the phages which infect cyanobacteria cannot be distinguished from the total count.In this study, an isolation-based approach was used to determine cyanophage abundance from water samples collected over a depth profile for a 24 h period from the Indian Ocean. Samples were used to infect Synechococcus sp. WH7803 and the number of plaque forming units (pfu) at each time point and depth were counted. At 10 m phage numbers were similar for most time-points, but there was a distinct peak in abundance at 0100 hours. Phage numbers were lower at 25 m and 50 m and did not show such strong temporal variation. No phages were found below this depth. Therefore, we conclude that only the abundance of phages in surface waters showed a clear temporal pattern over a short timescale. Fifty phages from a range of depths and time points were isolated and purified. The molecular diversity of these phages was estimated using a section of the phage-encoded psbD gene and the results from a phylogenetic analysis do not suggest that phages from the deeper waters form a distinct subgroup.

Pygo1 regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy via a β-catenin-dependent mechanism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Lin ◽  
Wei Xu ◽  
Yongqing Li ◽  
Ping Zhu ◽  
Wuzhou Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Hypertrophy ◽  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Heart Weight ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Tissue Specific ◽  
Cardiac Tissues ◽  
Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy ◽  
Interaction Factor ◽  
Myocardial Remodelling

Wnt/β-catenin signalling plays a key role in pathological cardiac remodelling in adults. The identification of a tissue-specific Wnt/β-catenin interaction factor may realise a tissue-specific clinical targeting strategy. Drosophila Pygo codes for the core interaction factor of Wnt/β-catenin. Two Pygo homologs, Pygo1 and Pygo2, have been identified in mammals. Different from the ubiquitous expression profile of Pygo2, Pygo1is enriched in cardiac tissue. However, the role of Pygo1 in mammalian cardiac disease remains unelucidated. Here, we found that Pygo1 was upregulated in human cardiac tissues with pathological hypertrophy. Cardiac-specific overexpression of Pygo1 in mice spontaneously led to cardiac hypertrophy accompanied by declined cardiac function, increased heart weight/body weight and heart weight/tibial length ratios and increased cell size. The canonical β-catenin/T-cell transcription factor 4 complex was abundant in Pygo1-overexpressingtransgenic(Pygo1-TG) cardiac tissue,and the downstream genes of Wnt signaling, i.e., Axin2, Ephb3, and C-myc, were upregulated. A tail vein injection of β-catenin inhibitor effectively rescued the phenotype of cardiac failure and pathological myocardial remodelling in Pygo1-TG mice. Furthermore, in vivo downregulated pygo1 during cardiac hypertrophic condition antagonized agonist-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Therefore, our study is the first to present in vivo evidence demonstrating that Pygo1 regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy in a canonical Wnt/β-catenin-dependent manner, which may provide new clues for a tissue-specific clinical treatment targeting this pathway.

Methomyl induced effect on fortilin and S100A1 in serum and cardiac tissue: Potential biomarkers of toxicity

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-377
Author(s):  
SD Nusair ◽  
AN Joukhan ◽  
AH Bani Rashaid ◽  
AM Rababa’h
Keyword(s):  
Toxic Effect ◽  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Cardiac Fibroblasts ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Cardiac Tissues ◽  
Sprague Dawley Rats ◽  
Cervical Dislocation ◽  
Potential Biomarkers

Methomyl toxicity has been reported as a cause of several accidental and suicidal fatalities. The study is evaluating the effect of lethal methomyl toxicity on fortilin and S100A1 in serum and cardiac tissues. Adult 96 female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided equally into a control (euthanized by cervical dislocation) and a study group (overdosed with methomyl). The levels of fortilin and S100A1 in serum were measured antemortem (to establish the basal levels in serum) and postmortem (to evaluate changes after methomyl exposure) using enzyme-linked immunoassay. S100A1 was immunostained in sections from cardiac tissues. Both proteins in the control were not significantly different ( p > 0.05) compared with the antemortem levels. On the contrast, both biomarkers levels in the intoxicated group were remarkably higher ( p < 0.001) than the control and the antemortem levels. Ventricular tissues from the intoxicated rats presented depleted S100A1 immunostain in cardiomyocytes localized mainly in the epicardium with deeply stained adjacent cardiac fibroblasts. The cardiomyocytes were damaged with a prominent loss of striations compared to normal cardiac tissues from the control. The present outcomes explain to a certain degree the potential toxic effect of methomyl poisoning on the cardiac tissue. Both proteins could be added to the currently available battery of markers for assessing methomyl toxicity.

Biophysical stimulation for in vitro engineering of functional cardiac tissues

2017 ◽  
Vol 131 (13) ◽  
pp. 1393-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Korolj ◽  
Erika Yan Wang ◽  
Robert A. Civitarese ◽  
Milica Radisic
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Culture Media ◽  
Culture Conditions ◽  
Lineage Specification ◽  
Cardiac Tissues ◽  
Cardiac Lineage ◽  
And Function ◽  
Tissue Models

Engineering functional cardiac tissues remains an ongoing significant challenge due to the complexity of the native environment. However, our growing understanding of key parameters of the in vivo cardiac microenvironment and our ability to replicate those parameters in vitro are resulting in the development of increasingly sophisticated models of engineered cardiac tissues (ECT). This review examines some of the most relevant parameters that may be applied in culture leading to higher fidelity cardiac tissue models. These include the biochemical composition of culture media and cardiac lineage specification, co-culture conditions, electrical and mechanical stimulation, and the application of hydrogels, various biomaterials, and scaffolds. The review will also summarize some of the recent functional human tissue models that have been developed for in vivo and in vitro applications. Ultimately, the creation of sophisticated ECT that replicate native structure and function will be instrumental in advancing cell-based therapeutics and in providing advanced models for drug discovery and testing.

Abstract 30: In vitro Fabrication of Human Cardiac Tissues With Porcine Perfusable Blood Vessels

2016 ◽  
Vol 119 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akitoshi Inui ◽  
Hidekazu Sekine ◽  
Kazunori Sano ◽  
Izumi Dobashi ◽  
Azumi Yoshida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Vessels ◽  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Severe Heart Failure ◽  
Perfusion Culture ◽  
Cardiac Cell ◽  
Cell Sheets ◽  
Cardiac Tissues ◽  
Bioreactor System ◽  
Human Cardiac Tissue

The definitive treatment of severe heart failure is heart transplantation; however the number of heart transplantation procedures performed in Japan per year ranges from 30-40 due to donor shortage. Therefore, recently other treatments such as ventricular assist device or regenerative therapy by human cardiac tissue engineering have been developed and are considered as appropriate alternatives. We have developed an original technology, which was named cell-sheet based tissue engineering to fabricate functional three-dimensional tissue by layering cell sheets. The utilization of this technique allowed us to successfully engineer thick rat cardiac tissue with perfusable blood vessels in vitro. Here, we demonstrate a technique to engineer human cardiac tissue with perfusable blood vessels using cardiac cell sheets derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells, and porcine small intestine as a vascular bed for perfusion culture. The small intestine was harvested from with a branch of the superior mesenteric artery and vein and underwent mucosal resection after harvested tissue was cut open. To engineer cardiac tissue with perfusable blood vessels, cardiac cell sheets co-cultured with endothelial cells, were triple-layered and then was overlaid on the vascular bed in the bioreactor system. One day after perfusion culture, overlaid cardiac tissues pulsated spontaneously and were synchronized. The cardiac tissue construct was viable tissue without any observable necrosis. Furthermore we examined the possibility of transplantation of the in vitro engineered human cardiac tissue with the connectable host artery and vein. Engineered cardiac tissue was removed from the bioreactor system after 4-day perfusion, and transplanted to another pig heart. The branch of the superior mesenteric artery and vein of the graft were then reconnected to the host internal thoracic artery and vein. When the cardiac tissue reperfused, it began to beat spontaneously after a few minutes. We believe that this method is useful to fabricate functional cardiac tissue and may become an appropriate treatment for severe heart failure.

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