Macular morphology and response to ranibizumab treatment in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration

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A Novel Homozygous p.L539F Mutation Identified in PINK1 Gene in a Moroccan Patient with Parkinsonism

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease. Ten of fifteen causative genes linked to familial forms of PD have been reported to cause autosomal recessive forms. Among them, mutations in the PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) gene were shown to be responsible for a phenotype characterized by early onset, good response to levodopa, and a benign course. Using chromosomal microarray analysis and Sanger sequencing, we identified a homozygous G/C substitution in a 58-year-old Moroccan man diagnosed with recessive inherited Parkinson's disease. This G-to-C transition occurred at position 1617 leading to an amino acid change L/F at position 539 located in highly conserved motif in the C terminal sequence of PINK1. Interestingly, the c.1617G>C substitution is absent in 192 ethnically matched control chromosomes. Our findings have shown that the p.L539F is a novel mutation located in the C terminal sequence of the PINK1 protein that could be pathogenic and responsible for a clinical phenotype resembling idiopathic Parkinson's disease with rapid progression and early cognitive impairment.

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Mechanoregulation of Wound Healing and Skin Homeostasis

Basic and clinical studies on mechanobiology of cells and tissues point to the importance of mechanical forces in the process of skin regeneration and wound healing. These studies result in the development of new therapies that use mechanical force which supports effective healing. A better understanding of mechanobiology will make it possible to develop biomaterials with appropriate physical and chemical properties used to treat poorly healing wounds. In addition, it will make it possible to design devices precisely controlling wound mechanics and to individualize a therapy depending on the type, size, and anatomical location of the wound in specific patients, which will increase the clinical efficiency of the therapy. Linking mechanobiology with the science of biomaterials and nanotechnology will enable in the near future precise interference in abnormal cell signaling responsible for the proliferation, differentiation, cell death, and restoration of the biological balance. The objective of this study is to point to the importance of mechanobiology in regeneration of skin damage and wound healing. The study describes the influence of rigidity of extracellular matrix and special restrictions on cell physiology. The study also defines how and what mechanical changes influence tissue regeneration and wound healing. The influence of mechanical signals in the process of proliferation, differentiation, and skin regeneration is tagged in the study.

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The Relationship of Oxidation Sensitivity of Red Blood Cells and Carbonic Anhydrase Activity in Stored Human Blood: Effect of Certain Phenolic Compounds

It has been reported that many modifications occur with the increase of oxidative stress during storage in erythrocytes. In order to delay these negative changes, we evaluated whether the addition of substances likely to protect antioxidant capacity in stored blood would be useful. Therefore, we investigated the effects of resveratrol, tannic acid, and caffeic acid in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant capacity of erythrocytes in stored blood. Donated blood was taken into four CPD containing blood bags. One bag was used as the control, and the others were supplemented with caffeic acid (30 μg/mL), resveratrol (30 μg/mL), and tannic acid (15 μg/mL), respectively. Erythrocyte lipid peroxidation, sensitivity to oxidation, glutathione levels and carbonic anhydrase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase activities were measured on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28. In the control group, erythrocyte malondialdehyde levels and sensitivity to oxidation were increased whereas glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase levels were decreased (). Resveratrol and caffeic acid prevented malondialdehyde accumulation and preserved glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase activities in erythrocytes. We demonstrated that resveratrol, caffeic acid, and tannic acid in stored blood could decrease the sensitivity to oxidation of erythrocytes in vitro but did not exhibit such effects on CA activity.

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The Effect of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells on Full-Thickness Skin Grafts

Background. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of ASCs on full-thickness skin grafts. Specifically, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of ASCs that are mediated via regulation of the phenotypes of activated macrophages. Methods. ASCs were isolated, cultured, and injected under full-thickness skin grafts in 15 rats (ASC group). An additional 15 rats served as controls (PBS group). Skin graft survival assessment and vascularization detection were assessed with H&E staining and laser Doppler blood flowmetry (LDF). The effects of ASCs on angiogenesis, anti-inflammation, collagen accumulation-promoting, and antiscarring were assessed. Results. We found that the skin graft survival rate was significantly increased in the ASC group. The neovascularization, collagen deposition, collagen type I to type III ratio, and levels of VEGF and TGF-β3 in the ASC group were markedly higher than those in the PBS group at day 14. Additionally, in the ASC group, the levels of iNOS, IL-1β, and TNF-α were remarkably decreased, whereas the levels of IL-10 and Arg-1 were substantially increased. Conclusions. Our results confirm that ASCs transplantation can effectively improve full-thickness skin graft survival. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory role of ASCs may indirectly contribute to skin graft survival via its effect on macrophage polarization.

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Micromachines, Vol. 7, Pages 104: A Robot-Assisted Cell Manipulation System with an Adaptive Visual Servoing Method

Robot-assisted cell manipulation is gaining attention for its ability in providing high throughput and high precision cell manipulation for the biological industry. This paper presents a visual servo microrobotic system for cell microinjection. We investigated the automatic cell autofocus method that reduced the complexity of the system. Then, we produced an adaptive visual processing algorithm to detect the location of the cell and micropipette toward the uneven illumination problem. Fourteen microinjection experiments were conducted with zebrafish embryos. A 100% success rate was achieved either in autofocus or embryo detection, which verified the robustness of the proposed automatic cell manipulation system.

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Inorganics, Vol. 4, Pages 19: Monoanionic Tin Oligomers Featuring Sn–Sn or Sn–Pb Bonds: Synthesis and Characterization of a Tris(Triheteroarylstannyl)Stannate and -Plumbate

The reaction of the lithium tris(2-pyridyl)stannate [LiSn(2-py6OtBu)3] (py6OtBu = C5H3N-6-OtBu), 1, with the element(II) amides E{N(SiMe3)2}2 (E = Sn, Pb) afforded complexes [LiE{Sn(2-py6OtBu)3}3] for E = Sn (2) and E = Pb (3), which reveal three Sn–E bonds each. Compounds 2 and 3 have been characterized by solution NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallographic studies. Large 1J(119Sn–119/117Sn) as well as 1J(207Pb–119/117Sn) coupling constants confirm their structural integrity in solution. However, contrary to 2, complex 3 slowly disintegrates in solution to give elemental lead and the hexaheteroarylditin [Sn(2-py6OtBu)3]2 (4).

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