Displaying publications 401 - 420 of 2140 in total

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  1. Fulltext "A Step and a Ceiling": mechanical properties of Ca2+ spark vasoregulation in resistance arteries by pressure-induced oxidative activation of PKG
    Csato V, Kadir SZSA, Khavandi K, Bennett H, Sugden S, Gurney AM, et al.
    Physiol Rep, 2019 Nov;7(22):e14260.
    PMID: 31782255 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.14260
    We investigated the biomechanical relationship between intraluminal pressure within small mesenteric resistance arteries, oxidant activation of PKG, Ca2+ sparks, and BK channel vasoregulation. Mesenteric resistance arteries from wild type (WT) and genetically modified mice with PKG resistance to oxidative activation were studied using wire and pressure myography. Ca2+ sparks and Ca2+ transients within vascular smooth muscle cells of intact arteries were characterized using high-speed confocal microscopy of intact arteries. Arteries were studied under conditions of varying intraluminal pressure and oxidation. Intraluminal pressure specifically, rather than the generic stretch of the artery, was necessary to activate the oxidative pathway. We demonstrated a graded step activation profile for the generation of Ca2+ sparks and also a functional "ceiling" for this pressure --sensitive oxidative pathway. During steady state pressure - induced constriction, any additional Ca2+ sensitive-K+ channel functional availability was independent of oxidant activated PKG. There was an increase in the amplitude, but not the Area under the Curve (AUC) of the caffeine-induced Ca2+ transient in pressurized arteries from mice with oxidant-resistant PKG compared with wild type. Overall, we surmise that intraluminal pressure within resistance arteries controls Ca2+ spark vasoregulation through a tightly controlled pathway with a graded onset switch. The pathway, underpinned by oxidant activation of PKG, cannot be further boosted by additional pressure or oxidation once active. We propose that these restrictive characteristics of pressure-induced Ca2+ spark vasoregulation confer stability for the artery in order to provide a constant flow independent of additional pressure fluctuations or exogenous oxidants.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Mice
  2. Fulltext Affimer Tagged Cubosomes: Targeting of Carcinoembryonic Antigen Expressing Colorectal Cancer Cells Using In Vitro and In Vivo Models
    Pramanik A, Xu Z, Shamsuddin SH, Khaled YS, Ingram N, Maisey T, et al.
    ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2022 Mar 09;14(9):11078-11091.
    PMID: 35196008 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c21655
    Nanomedicines, while having been approved for cancer therapy, present many challenges such as low stability, rapid clearance, and nonspecificity leading to off-target toxicity. Cubosomes are porous lyotropic liquid crystalline nanoparticles that have shown great premise as drug delivery vehicles; however, their behavior in vivo is largely underexplored, hindering clinical translation. Here, we have engineered cubosomes based on the space group Im3m that are loaded with copper acetylacetonate as a model drug, and their surfaces are functionalized for the first time with Affimer proteins via copper-free click chemistry to actively target overexpressed carcinoembryonic antigens on LS174T colorectal cancer cells. Unlike nontargeted cubosomes, Affimer tagged cubosomes showed preferential accumulation in cancer cells compared to normal cells not only in vitro (2D monolayer cell culture and 3D spheroid models) but also in vivo in colorectal cancer mouse xenografts, while exhibiting low nonspecific absorption and toxicity in other vital organs. Cancerous spheroids had maximum cell death compared to noncancerous cells upon targeted delivery. Xenografts subjected to targeted drug-loaded cubosomes showed a 5-7-fold higher drug accumulation in the tumor tissue compared to the liver, kidneys, and other vital organs, a significant decrease in tumor growth, and an increased survival rate compared to the nontargeted group. This work encompasses the first thorough preclinical investigation of Affimer targeted cubosomes as a cancer therapeutic.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Mice
  3. Fulltext Implications of a highly divergent dengue virus strain for cross-neutralization, protection, and vaccine immunity
    Chen RE, Smith BK, Errico JM, Gordon DN, Winkler ES, VanBlargan LA, et al.
    Cell Host Microbe, 2021 Nov 10;29(11):1634-1648.e5.
    PMID: 34610295 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.09.006
    Although divergent dengue viruses (DENVs) have been isolated in insects, nonhuman primates, and humans, their relationships to the four canonical serotypes (DENV 1-4) are poorly understood. One virus isolated from a dengue patient, DKE-121, falls between genotype and serotype levels of sequence divergence to DENV-4. To examine its antigenic relationship to DENV-4, we assessed serum neutralizing and protective activity. Whereas DENV-4-immune mouse sera neutralize DKE-121 infection, DKE-121-immune sera inhibit DENV-4 less efficiently. Passive transfer of DENV-4 or DKE-121-immune sera protects mice against homologous, but not heterologous, DENV-4 or DKE-121 challenge. Antigenic cartography suggests that DENV-4 and DKE-121 are related but antigenically distinct. However, DENV-4 vaccination confers protection against DKE-121 in nonhuman primates, and serum from humans immunized with a tetravalent vaccine neutralize DENV-4 and DKE-121 infection equivalently. As divergent DENV strains, such as DKE-121, may meet criteria for serotype distinction, monitoring their capacity to impact dengue disease and vaccine efficacy appears warranted.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Mice
  4. Fulltext Lignosus rhinocerotis Cooke Ryvarden ameliorates airway inflammation, mucus hypersecretion and airway hyperresponsiveness in a murine model of asthma
    Johnathan M, Muhamad SA, Gan SH, Stanslas J, Mohd Fuad WE, Hussain FA, et al.
    PLoS One, 2021;16(3):e0249091.
    PMID: 33784348 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249091
    Lignosus rhinocerotis Cooke. (L. rhinocerotis) is a medicinal mushroom traditionally used in the treatment of asthma and several other diseases by the indigenous communities in Malaysia. In this study, the effects of L. rhinocerotis on allergic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness were investigated. L. rhinocerotis extract (LRE) was prepared by hot water extraction using soxhlet. Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) study was performed in house dust mite (HDM)-induced asthma in Balb/c mice while airway inflammation study was performed in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma in Sprague-Dawley rats. Treatment with different doses of LRE (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) significantly inhibited AHR in HDM-induced mice. Treatment with LRE also significantly decreased the elevated IgE in serum, Th2 cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and ameliorated OVA-induced histological changes in rats by attenuating leukocyte infiltration, mucus hypersecretion and goblet cell hyperplasia in the lungs. LRE also significantly reduced the number of eosinophils and neutrophils in BALF. Interestingly, a significant reduction of the FOXP3+ regulatory T lymphocytes was observed following OVA induction, but the cells were significantly elevated with LRE treatment. Subsequent analyses on gene expression revealed regulation of several important genes i.e. IL17A, ADAM33, CCL5, IL4, CCR3, CCR8, PMCH, CCL22, IFNG, CCL17, CCR4, PRG2, FCER1A, CLCA1, CHIA and Cma1 which were up-regulated following OVA induction but down-regulated following treatment with LRE. In conclusion, LRE alleviates allergy airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness, thus suggesting its therapeutic potential as a new armamentarium against allergic asthma.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice, Inbred BALB C*; Mice
  5. Breast Cancer Chemoprevention from Nano Zingiber officinale Roscoe
    Wardana AP, Kristanti AN, Aminah NS, Fahmi MZ, Raoov M, Indriani
    Int J Nanomedicine, 2024;19:11039-11053.
    PMID: 39502639 DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S474611
    BACKGROUND: After cardiovascular disease, cancer is one of the leading causes of death due to uncontrolled cell growth. Breast cancer is among the most prevalent types of cancer. Zingiber officinale Roscoe. rich in phenolic compounds, which can stimulate and function as endogenous antioxidants.

    PURPOSE: Investigation of the in vivo chemopreventive has the potential of nano Z. officinale Roscoe (Zo-NPs) in breast cancer.

    STUDY DESIGN: Using female Mus musculus Balb/c induced with benzo[α]pyrene, the chemopreventive action of Z. officinale Roscoe. nanoencapsulated using κ-carrageenan was assessed.

    RESULTS: Z. officinale Roscoe Extract. contains 58 compounds, with the main component being [6]-gingerol with [6]-gingerol content being 697.65 ± 8.52 mg/g extract. Nanoencapsulation of Z. officinale Roscoe. has been successfully prepared with a particle size of 483.30 ± 11.23 nm. Zo-NPs are generally resistant to pH, temperature, and salt content variations. Compared to group C1, which underwent ductular dilatation, the administration of Zo-NPs (group T2) to female Mus musculus Balb/c, induced by benzo[α]pyrene, revealed no histological alterations in breast tissue. Moreover, administering Zo-NPs can raise blood serum levels of CAT, GSH, and SOD. In addition, it showed a greater ability to lower TNF-α levels than the T1 group, which received Z. officinale Roscoe extract. (Zo).

    Matched MeSH terms: Mice, Inbred BALB C*; Mice
  6. Fulltext Diagnosis of Genus Helicobacter through a hemi-nested PCR assay of 16S rRNA
    Qin H, Tang G, Yi P, Pan X, Huang H, Chang R, et al.
    Saudi Pharm J, 2016 May;24(3):265-72.
    PMID: 27275113 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2016.04.015
    The present study aimed to establish a genus-specific PCR-based assay to detect helicobacters using 16S rRNA gene as the target template. We designed the hemi-nested primers based on sequences of 16S rRNA gene of 34 types of Helicobacter species. The inclusivity, sensitivity, and specificity of the PCR assay using these primers were examined in three different models, comprising feces simulated samples, BLAB/c mice infection model and clinic patients samples. The detection sensitivity of Helicobacter pylori, Helicobacter hepaticus and Helicobacter bilis strains from feces simulated samples was all 102 CFU/ml. We successfully detected H. hepaticus and H. bilis in the liver, cecum and feces of experimentally infected mice. H. pylori was successfully detected in the feces samples from 3 patients infected with H. pylori while not in the feces samples from 3 healthy human. However, the C97/C05-C97/C98 PCR assay detected H. pylori in the 2 positive samples. Due to the PCR assay's excellent inclusivity, high sensitivity and specificity it may be used to detect the presence of Helicobacters.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  7. Fulltext Harvesting the maximum length of sciatic nerve from adult mice: a step-by-step approach
    Bala U, Tan KL, Ling KH, Cheah PS
    BMC Res Notes, 2014;7:714.
    PMID: 25304607 DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-714
    Over the past several decades, many studies concerning peripheral nerve damage or regeneration have been performed. Mice have been widely used for many of these studies, with the sciatic nerve being the most targeted and preferred nerve. Therefore, techniques for harvesting mouse sciatic nerves of a maximum length that is sufficient for different analyses will be highly valuable. Here we describe a simple step-by-step guide for harvesting the maximum length of mouse sciatic nerve and compare the length of the harvested nerves gathered with the proposed method with nerves obtained using a conventional mid-thigh incision approach.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice, Inbred C57BL
  8. Fulltext Medicinal practice of bioactive compounds (natural/synthetic): an insight into gastrointestinal disorders
    Abdulla MA, Banat I, Naughton P
    Biomed Res Int, 2014;2014:401698.
    PMID: 24809048 DOI: 10.1155/2014/401698
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  9. Proteomic characterization of venom of the medically important Southeast Asian Naja sumatrana (Equatorial spitting cobra)
    Yap MK, Fung SY, Tan KY, Tan NH
    Acta Trop, 2014 May;133:15-25.
    PMID: 24508616 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2014.01.014
    The proteome of Naja sumatrana (Equatorial spitting cobra) venom was investigated by shotgun analysis and a combination of ion-exchange chromatography and reverse phase HPLC. Shotgun analysis revealed the presence of 39 proteins in the venom while the chromatographic approach identified 37 venom proteins. The results indicated that, like other Asiatic cobra venoms, N. sumatrana contains large number of three finger toxins and phospholipases A2, which together constitute 92.1% by weight of venom protein. However, only eight of the toxins can be considered as major venom toxins. These include two phospholipases A2, three neurotoxins (two long neurotoxins and a short neurotoxin) and three cardiotoxins. The eight major toxins have relative abundance of 1.6-27.2% venom proteins and together account for 89.8% (by weight) of total venom protein. Other venom proteins identified include Zn-metalloproteinase-disintegrin, Thaicobrin, CRISP, natriuretic peptide, complement depleting factors, cobra venom factors, venom nerve growth factor and cobra serum albumin. The proteome of N. sumatrana venom is similar to proteome of other Asiatic cobra venoms but differs from that of African spitting cobra venom. Our results confirm that the main toxic action of N. sumatrana venom is neurotoxic but the large amount of cardiotoxins and phospholipases A2 are likely to contribute significantly to the overall pathophysiological action of the venom. The differences in toxin distribution between N. sumatrana venom and African spitting cobra venoms suggest possible differences in the pathophysiological actions of N. sumatrana venom and the African spitting cobra venoms, and explain why antivenom raised against Asiatic cobra venom is not effective against African spitting cobra venoms.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice, Inbred ICR
  10. Screening and subcloning of high producer transfectomas using semisolid media and automated colony picker
    Dharshanan S, Hung CS
    Methods Mol Biol, 2014;1131:105-12.
    PMID: 24515462 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-62703-992-5_7
    Generation of high-producing clones is a perquisite for achieving recombinant protein yields suitable for biopharmaceutical production. However, in many industrially important cell lines used to produce recombinant proteins such as Chinese hamster ovary, mouse myeloma line (NS0), and hybridomas, only a minority of clones show significantly above-average productivity. Thus, in order to have a reasonable probability of finding rare high-producing clones, a large number of clones need to be screened. Limiting dilution cloning is the most commonly used method, owing to its relative simplicity and low cost. However the use of liquid media in this method makes the selection of monoclonal hybridoma and transfectoma colonies to be labor intensive and time consuming, thus significantly limiting the number of clones that can be feasibly screened. Hence, we describe the use of semisolid media to immobilize clones and a high-throughput, automated colony picker (ClonePix FL) to efficiently isolate monoclonal high-producing clones secreting monoclonal antibodies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  11. Fulltext Differentiation of dental pulp stem cells into neuron-like cells in serum-free medium
    Zainal Ariffin SH, Kermani S, Zainol Abidin IZ, Megat Abdul Wahab R, Yamamoto Z, Senafi S, et al.
    Stem Cells Int, 2013;2013:250740.
    PMID: 24348580 DOI: 10.1155/2013/250740
    Dental pulp tissue contains dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Dental pulp cells (also known as dental pulp-derived mesenchymal stem cells) are capable of differentiating into multilineage cells including neuron-like cells. The aim of this study was to examine the capability of DPSCs to differentiate into neuron-like cells without using any reagents or growth factors. DPSCs were isolated from teeth extracted from 6- to 8-week-old mice and maintained in complete medium. The cells from the fourth passage were induced to differentiate by culturing in medium without serum or growth factors. RT-PCR molecular analysis showed characteristics of Cd146(+) , Cd166(+) , and Cd31(-) in DPSCs, indicating that these cells are mesenchymal stem cells rather than hematopoietic stem cells. After 5 days of neuronal differentiation, the cells showed neuron-like morphological changes and expressed MAP2 protein. The activation of Nestin was observed at low level prior to differentiation and increased after 5 days of culture in differentiation medium, whereas Tub3 was activated only after 5 days of neuronal differentiation. The proliferation of the differentiated cells decreased in comparison to that of the control cells. Dental pulp stem cells are induced to differentiate into neuron-like cells when cultured in serum- and growth factor-free medium.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  12. Fulltext In vitro chondrogenesis transformation study of mouse dental pulp stem cells
    Zainal Ariffin SH, Kermani S, Megat Abdul Wahab R, Senafi S, Zainal Ariffin Z, Abdul Razak M
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2012;2012:827149.
    PMID: 22919354 DOI: 10.1100/2012/827149
    A major challenge in the application of mesenchymal stem cells in cartilage reconstruction is that whether the cells are able to differentiate into fully mature chondrocytes before grafting. The aim of this study was to isolate mouse dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) and differentiate them into chondrocytes. For this investigation, morphological, molecular, and biochemical analyses for differentiated cells were used. To induce the chondrocyte differentiation, DPSC were cultured in chondrogenic medium (Zen-Bio, Inc.). Based on morphological analyses using toluidine blue staining, proteoglycan products appear in DPSC after 21 days of chondrocyte induction. Biochemical analyses in differentiated group showed that alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly increased at day 14 as compared to control (P < 0.05). Cell viability analyses during the differentiation to chondrocytes also showed that these cells were viable during differentiation. However, after the 14th day of differentiation, there was a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the viability proportion among differentiated cells as compared to the control cells. In RT-PCR molecular analyses, mouse DPSC expressed Cd146 and Cd166 which indicated that these cells belong to mesenchymal stem cells. Coll I and Coll II markers showed high expression after 14 and 21 days, respectively. In conclusion, this study showed that DPSC successfully differentiated into chondrocytes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  13. Quercetin/adenosine combination may induce insulin resistance in high fat diet-fed mice
    Lee CY
    Obes Res Clin Pract, 2012 Jan-Mar;6(1):e1-e90.
    PMID: 24331176 DOI: 10.1016/j.orcp.2011.05.002
    Quercetin and adenosine are natural antioxidants separately claimed to improve metabolic syndrome parameters. The effect of this combination (QA) was examined in high fat diet-fed mice. Results showed that growth and blood parameters, as observed for quercetin-treated mice, were not significantly different from the control. Adenosine alone caused hyperglycemia and reduced plasma adiponectin. QA feeding led to increased adiposity and circulatory insulin, and concomitantly down-regulated liver eNOS and LFABP expressions. This showed that interaction occurred between quercetin and adenosine, and combined ingestion may lead to insulin resistance, while adenosine does not prevent the development of metabolic syndrome.:
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  14. Fulltext The biology and demographic parameters of Aedes albopictus in northern peninsular Malaysia
    Aida HN, Dieng H, Ahmad AH, Satho T, Nurita AT, Salmah MR, et al.
    Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2011 Dec;1(6):472-7.
    PMID: 23569816 DOI: 10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60103-2
    OBJECTIVE: To generate life table characteristics for the dengue vector Aedes albopictus (A. albopictus) under uncontrolled conditions, incorporating both the aquatic and the adult stages.

    METHODS: Ten females derived from wild pupae were allowed to fully blood-feed on restrained mice. 774 eggs were hatched in seasoned water. F1 larvae were followed for development until their F2 counterparts emerged as adults. Some population parameters were monitored (F1) or estimated (F2).

    RESULTS: A. albopictus exhibited increased fecundity and egg hatch success. Immature development was quick. Immature survival was high, with lowest rate in the pupal stage. Adult emergence was about 81% and sex ratio was close to 1:1. Generational mortality (K) was about 28%. A high proportion of females completed a reproductive cycle and the obtained parity rate was predicted to lead to higher fecundity in the next generation.

    CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that natural A. albopictus populations in Penang seem largely determined by quick development in combination with low immature loss and increased oviposition.

    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  15. In vivo chromosome aberration test for hydroxyapetite in mice
    Kannan TP, Nik Ahmad Shah NL, Azlina A, Samsudin AR, Narazah MY, Salleh M
    Med J Malaysia, 2004 May;59 Suppl B:115-6.
    PMID: 15468845
    This study evaluates the cytotoxic and mutagenic effect of synthetic hydroxyapatite granules (source: School of Material and Mineral Resources Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia) in the bone marrow cells of mice. Mice are exposed to synthetic hydroxyapatite granules, the bone marrow cells are collected and observed for chromosome aberrations. No chromosome aberrations were noticed in the animals exposed to distilled water (negative control) and to the test substance, synthetic hydroxyapatite granules (treatment) groups. Chromosome aberrations were observed in the animals exposed to Mitomycin C (positive control group). There was no indication of cytotoxicity due to synthetic hydroxyapatite granules in the animals as revealed by the mitotic index. Hence, synthetic hydroxyapatite granules are considered non-mutagenic under the prevailing test conditions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  16. Cinnamtannin B1 activity on adipocytes formation
    Taher M, Abdul Majid FA, Sarmidi MR
    Med J Malaysia, 2004 May;59 Suppl B:97-8.
    PMID: 15468836
    In attempt to discover a small active compound that could promote adipogenesis, we investigated the ability of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) extracts to stimulate 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, In this study, we designed an experiment by replacing insulin with cinnamon extracts. The differentiated of 3T3-L1 adipocytes were monitored using oil red O staining method. Induction of adipocyte formation by cinnamtannin B1 or water extract gave the similar effects to insulin activity in adipogenesis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  17. Fulltext Misfolded N-CoR is Linked to the Ectopic Reactivation of CD34/Flt3-Based Stem-Cell Phenotype in Promyelocytic and Monocytic Acute Myeloid Leukemia
    Nin DS, Li F, Visvanathan S, Khan M
    Front Oncol, 2015;5:210.
    PMID: 26500885 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2015.00210
    Nuclear receptor co-repressor (N-CoR) is the key component of generic co-repressor complex essential for the transcriptional control of genes involved in cellular hemostasis. We have recently reported that N-CoR actively represses Flt3, a key factor of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) self-renewal and growth, and that de-repression of Flt3 by the misfolded N-CoR plays an important role in the pathogenesis of promyelocytic and monocytic acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The leukemic cells derived from the promyelocytic and monocytic AML are distinctly characterized by the ectopic reactivation of stem cell phenotypes in relatively committed myeloid compartment. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon is not known. Here, we report that N-CoR function is essential for the commitment of primitive hematopoietic cells to the cells of myeloid lineage and that loss of N-CoR function due to misfolding is linked to the ectopic reactivation of generic stem cell phenotypes in promyelocytic and monocytic AML. Analysis of N-CoR and Flt3 transcripts in mouse hematopoietic cells revealed a positive correlation between N-CoR level and the commitment of myeloid cells and an inverse correlation between N-CoR and Flt3 levels in primitive as well as committed myeloid cells. Enforced N-CoR expression in mouse HSCs inhibited their growth and self-renewal potentials and promoted maturation toward cells of myeloid lineage, suggesting a role of N-CoR in the commitment of cells of myeloid lineage. In contrast to AML cells with natively folded N-CoR, primary and secondary promyelocytic and monocytic AML cells harboring the misfolded N-CoR were highly positive for Flt3 and myeloid antigen-based HSC marker CD34. Genetic and therapeutic restoration of N-CoR conformation significantly down-regulated the CD34 levels in monocytic AML cells, suggesting an important role of N-CoR in the suppression of CD34-based HSC phenotypes. These findings collectively suggest that N-CoR is crucial for the commitment of primitive hematopoietic cells to cells of myeloid lineage and that misfolded N-CoR may contribute to transformation of committed myeloid cells through the ectopic reactivation of Flt3/CD34-based stem cell phenotypes in promyelocytic and monocytic AML. Moreover, these findings provide novel mechanistic insights into the formation of leukemic stem cells in subsets of AML and identify the misfolded N-CoR as a subtype-specific biomarker of AML.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  18. Feasibility of A-mode ultrasound attenuation as a monitoring method of local hyperthermia treatment
    Manaf NA, Aziz MN, Ridzuan DS, Mohamad Salim MI, Wahab AA, Lai KW, et al.
    Med Biol Eng Comput, 2016 Jun;54(6):967-81.
    PMID: 27039402 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-016-1480-2
    Recently, there is an increasing interest in the use of local hyperthermia treatment for a variety of clinical applications. The desired therapeutic outcome in local hyperthermia treatment is achieved by raising the local temperature to surpass the tissue coagulation threshold, resulting in tissue necrosis. In oncology, local hyperthermia is used as an effective way to destroy cancerous tissues and is said to have the potential to replace conventional treatment regime like surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, the inability to closely monitor temperature elevations from hyperthermia treatment in real time with high accuracy continues to limit its clinical applicability. Local hyperthermia treatment requires real-time monitoring system to observe the progression of the destroyed tissue during and after the treatment. Ultrasound is one of the modalities that have great potential for local hyperthermia monitoring, as it is non-ionizing, convenient and has relatively simple signal processing requirement compared to magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. In a two-dimensional ultrasound imaging system, changes in tissue microstructure during local hyperthermia treatment are observed in terms of pixel value analysis extracted from the ultrasound image itself. Although 2D ultrasound has shown to be the most widely used system for monitoring hyperthermia in ultrasound imaging family, 1D ultrasound on the other hand could offer a real-time monitoring and the method enables quantitative measurement to be conducted faster and with simpler measurement instrument. Therefore, this paper proposes a new local hyperthermia monitoring method that is based on one-dimensional ultrasound. Specifically, the study investigates the effect of ultrasound attenuation in normal and pathological breast tissue when the temperature in tissue is varied between 37 and 65 °C during local hyperthermia treatment. Besides that, the total protein content measurement was also conducted to investigate the relationship between attenuation and tissue denaturation level at different temperature ranges. The tissues were grouped according to their histology results, namely normal tissue with large predominance of cells (NPC), cancer tissue with large predominance of cells (CPC) and cancer with high collagen fiber content (CHF). The result shows that the attenuation coefficient of ultrasound measured following the local hyperthermia treatment increases with the increment of collagen fiber content in tissue as the CHF attenuated ultrasound at the highest rate, followed by NPC and CPC. Additionally, the attenuation increment is more pronounced at the temperature over 55 °C. This describes that the ultrasound wave experienced more energy loss when it propagates through a heated tissue as the tissue structure changes due to protein coagulation effect. Additionally, a significant increase in the sensitivity of attenuation to protein denaturation is also observed with the highest sensitivity obtained in monitoring NPC. Overall, it is concluded that one-dimensional ultrasound can be used as a monitoring method of local hyperthermia since its attenuation is very sensitive to the changes in tissue microstructure during hyperthermia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  19. Stem cells and injectable hydrogels: Synergistic therapeutics in myocardial repair
    Sepantafar M, Maheronnaghsh R, Mohammadi H, Rajabi-Zeleti S, Annabi N, Aghdami N, et al.
    Biotechnol Adv, 2016 Jul-Aug;34(4):362-379.
    PMID: 26976812 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2016.03.003
    One of the major problems in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases is the inability of myocardium to self-regenerate. Current therapies are unable to restore the heart's function after myocardial infarction. Myocardial tissue engineering is potentially a key approach to regenerate damaged heart muscle. Myocardial patches are applied surgically, whereas injectable hydrogels provide effective minimally invasive approaches to recover functional myocardium. These hydrogels are easily administered and can be either cell free or loaded with bioactive agents and/or cardiac stem cells, which may apply paracrine effects. The aim of this review is to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of injectable stem cell-laden hydrogels and highlight their potential applications for myocardium repair.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
  20. Fulltext Biphasic Effects of α-Asarone on Immobility in the Tail Suspension Test: Evidence for the Involvement of the Noradrenergic and Serotonergic Systems in Its Antidepressant-Like Activity
    Chellian R, Pandy V, Mohamed Z
    Front Pharmacol, 2016;7:72.
    PMID: 27065863 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00072
    Alpha (α)-asarone is one of the main psychoactive compounds, present in Acorus species. Evidence suggests that the α-asarone possess an antidepressant-like activity in mice. However, the exact dose-dependent effect of α-asarone and mechanism(s) involved in the antidepressant-like activity are not clear. The present study aimed to investigate the dose-dependent effect of α-asarone and the underlining mechanism(s) involved in the antidepressant-like activity of α-asarone in the mouse model of tail suspension test (TST). In this study, the acute effect of α-asarone per se at different doses (10-100 mg/kg, i.p.) on immobility in the TST was studied. Additionally, the possible mechanism(s) involved in the antidepressant-like effect of α-asarone was studied using its interaction with noradrenergic and serotonergic neuromodulators in the TST. The present results reveal that the acute treatment of α-asarone elicited biphasic responses on immobility such that the duration of the immobility time is significantly reduced at lower doses (15 and 20 mg/kg, i.p.) but increased at higher doses (50 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) in the TST. Besides, α-asarone at higher doses (50 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly decreased the spontaneous locomotor activity. Moreover, pretreatment of mice with noradrenergic neuromodulators such as AMPT (100 mg/kg, i.p., a catecholamine synthesis inhibitor), prazosin (1 mg/kg, i.p., an α1-adrenoceptor antagonist), yohimbine (1 mg/kg, i.p., an α2-adrenoceptor antagonist) and with serotonergic neuromodulators such as PCPA (100 mg/kg, i.p., once daily for four consecutive days, a serotonin synthesis inhibitor,) and WAY100635 (0.1 mg/kg, s.c., a selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist) significantly reversed the anti-immobility effect of α-asarone (20 mg/kg, i.p.). Taken together, our results suggest that the acute treatment with α-asarone elicited biphasic actions in the TST in which antidepressant-like effect was seen at relatively lower doses (15 and 20 mg/kg, i.p.) and depressive-like activity at relatively higher doses (50 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.). Furthermore, it has been revealed that the antidepressant-like effect of α-asarone could be mediated through both noradrenergic (α1 and α2 adrenoceptors) and serotonergic (particularly, 5-HT1A receptors) systems.
    Matched MeSH terms: Mice
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